Ahead of a meeting with President Anastasiades and the education, labour and finance ministers to discuss the latest coronavirus situation, health minister Constantinos Ioannou on Tuesday warned coronavirus measures will either remain the same or be tightened, while he did not rule out a total lockdown over Christmas and New Year.As existing decrees are valid until December 13, decisions are expected to be announced before the weekend.
The final decision lies with the council of ministers which is expected to meet on Friday.
Ioannou said although earlier plans were to partially lift the measures from December 14 until January 7, this would only have been possible if virus transmissions were down.
“It simply does not seem to be happening right now. We are making an assessment and analysis of the data and certainly the findings do not allow us to relax,” he stressed.
According to Ioannou, last week was the worst since the start of the pandemic, adding the picture in Cyprus “has not improved to the extent we wanted.”
Not only is the increased amount of cases during the past seven days a concern, but also the fact that in many cases individuals and businesses do not follow guidelines and protocols.
There is no other solution at the moment other than following directives until mass vaccinations will greatly help to reduce numbers, he stressed.
Asked if there is the possibility of a total lockdown, he said that the public health has always guided decisions and will continue to do so.
“In the first outbreak of the pandemic, our knowledge about the pandemic was minimal and we needed time to properly organise and shield the health system. For this reason a lockdown was implemented in Cyprus, which was certainly crucial in limiting the spread of the virus.”
“In the second wave, the effort is focused on controlling the deterioration of the situation, while maintaining the functioning of society and the economy.”
“For the time being, we are the only country in the EU that has not brought back a total lockdown, but this does not mean that it has been ruled out as an option,” he added.
The first batch of vaccines is expected in Cyprus in early January, Ioannou noted.
The aim is to vaccinate vulnerable groups first and then much of the general population.
“Our effort is to endure as long as possible, without severe restrictions and / or a lockdown, until a large percentage of vaccination coverage is achieved.”
Vaccination is not obligatory and will be free of charge, the minister explained.
https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/12/08/coronavirus-health-minister-does-not-rule-out-total-lockdown-update-2/
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