Filenews 30 November 2020
Answers to five key questions given by the Ministry of Health in relation to the new restrictive measures that came into force today.
What reasoning were the decisions on the measures based on and what is their objective?
Taking into account psychological and social factors and with a view to ensuring the functioning of society with the least possible impact on citizens' daily lives, it was decided to package measures by 13 December in order to allow sufficient time for the measures to be effective and to improve the epidemiological picture.
The measures focus mainly on limiting a person's close contacts, but also on reducing the movement and mobility of citizens. At the same time, the measures limit the areas and activities where confusion can occur and thus easier transmission of the virus.
Why are 75 people allowed in churches?
The presence of 75 people is the maximum, which applies to other enclosed spaces (e.g. dining areas, conference and assembly venues), where people gather. The maximum limit of 75 persons in churches/places of religious worship shall apply in parallel with the other conditions and instructions of the relevant protocol such as, inter alia:
- Attendees must be seated, without heavy movement.
- Attendees are required to use a protective mask throughout their presence in the church.
- In addition to the maximum of 75 persons, the setting applies for the presence of one person per 3 sq.m. For example, if a sacred temple has 300 m2 of interior space and based on the measure to maintain a distance of 3 m2 per person, there could be up to 100 people, the number of people may not exceed 75. Similarly if a sacred temple has 150 sq.m. indoor space the number of people who will attend will be 50.
Why is it that up to 75 people are allowed to attend during the church/other forms of religious worship, while weddings, baptisms and funerals are allowed in the presence of only 10 people?
The limit of 10 people applies to all social gatherings, as well as to gatherings of people in homes. Weddings, baptisms and funerals are considered social gatherings, since individuals know each other and inevitably due to intense emotional stress and social activity, they are manifestations of increased risk and a high rate of communicability.
During the tracing the previous period it appeared that large flocks of cases had occurred after funerals or weddings and baptisms, which made it difficult both to investigate them and to limit the dispersion.
Why has it been decided to suspend the operation of certain sectors such as gyms and to limit the opening hours of restaurants?
Gyms due to the nature of the activity are classified in places where the risk and transmission index is very high (hazard category 'red') according to ecdc and World Health Organisation estimates. Moreover, because in practice athletes cannot use masks, and fully comply with protection measures, they are considered places with an increased degree of transmission of the virus.
In relation to restaurants, in many countries such as the United Kingdom, food premises were among the first sectors to either be suspended or operated under restrictions since September due to the high risk of the degree of transmission of the virus. In Cyprus in the past period, chains of cases have been recorded, which make it very difficult to detect and detect the spread of the virus. At the same time, the measure for the operation of dining areas until 7 p.m. is part of the general framework of measures to limit mobility and confusion.
Why, while schools remain open, are children's extracurricular activities banned?
The functioning of schools is governed by protocol and guidelines, and their implementation is respected with great care. Therefore, the situation within the school units is controlled and there is a procedure in place in case of case detection. At the same time, the children in the classes are stable (bubbles), assisting in the process of tracing and reducing the number of close contacts.
In contrast, extracurricular sports, social and other activities bring together children from different schools and the occurrence of a case from these places can spread the virus to pupils in other schools and, by extension, to more school units, with the risk that transmission cannot be controlled.
Source: eyenews
