Easing more restrictive measures too soon could end up being counterproductive should the number of Covid-19 cases spike in the coming weeks, member of the government’s epidemiological team Zoe Dorothea Pana said on Monday.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Pana explained the government decided to lift measures cautiously over the next weeks to help the vaccination rollout proceed smoothly and to allow for further measures to be gradually lifted next.
“Being more cautious with the easing of restrictions is a necessity,” Pana said. “The most important thing is to have a strategy in place, which the government has.
“Caution will help the vaccination rollout continue without problems and will also help contain the spread of the British variant, for which we have to be very careful.”
Pana denied reports of disagreement between the epidemiological team and the government, which also said this could be seen by the fact the government does not follow all moves advised by the scientists.
“We provide scientific advice, we do not actually make the rules. We can give our opinion on the scientific side of the virus, but the government has to take into account the financial and socio-economic aspects of the pandemic as well. There is no issue between the parts,” she said.
However fellow member of the epidemiological team Constantinos Tsioutis, Assistant Professor of Pathology at the European University, took to Twitter to express his doubts over the mass testing of the population in Cyprus.
“Mass testing is excessive, unprofitable, destructive and does not replace the simple measures in place against the spread of the virus, which are clearly more efficient and do not create false alarms,” Tsioutis said.
“A year after the start of the pandemic, we are discussing about a possible restart, but we are not applying what we should have learned by now.
“Working from home should have become mandatory by now and yet there are many against it.
“We need to rethink social spaces and not just regarding the number of people per square metre. Better ventilation and permanent but separate office staff in offices are also very important.
“Masks are the most important measure of personal protection, but they need to be worn properly and it seems we don’t.”
Finally, Tsioutis called for a better understanding of what personal protection means, urging people to apply simple basic rules to their own lives.
“People do not need specialised courses on how to protect themselves against the virus. But they need to apply some basic rules in their everyday lives, such as being more careful about who they interact with, avoiding large crowds and contacting a doctor should coronavirus symptoms arise,” he concluded.
