Filenews 25 November 2020 - by Marilena Panagi
Lifting and adding restrictions will include the government's new measures, which will probably touch all levels of education over time, although this measure will depend on the readiness of schools to respond properly to a distance learning environment.
It must be assumed that this year's Christmas will not be as we know it, although as everything shows, there will be relaxes both at the start of the curfew and in the permitted number of people per assembly and during the congregation. At the festive table, as we are informed, the permitted number will be 15 or 20 people while the curfew will be carried over at 00:30 or 1 a.m.
With regard to the measures that are horizontally implemented, the scientists asked to have at their disposal the data of Wednesday and Thursday before proceeding with their suggestions, although on the table is and is being studied very seriously the possibility of Gymnasiums and Municipalities ending their operation for the Christmas holidays a week in advance, while for Lyceums the proposal discussed yesterday concerns suspension of their operation from next week and implementation remotely education for all pupils.
However, this, according to information provided by the 'F', will only be done if the Ministry of Education gives the green light after it has been deemed necessary to ensure that distance education is carried out seamlessly and without problems.In the rest, Paphos must be considered certain to be freed from strict restrictions, Limassol is free from geographical restrictions and travel bans, but although with some additional easing measures in the province will continue to be strict, since the dispersion of the coronavirus remains at very dangerous levels (the proportion of cases is falling, but it is still close to 500 cases per 100,000 population).
For Limassol, although the Government has not taken its decisions, it seems that at the same time the lifting of travel bans will add to the reopening of specific professional sectors, such as hairdressers and beauty salons. Thoughts are also being made for the reopening of shops and department stores, with restrictions however on the basis of their square meters.
Reflection was expressed by the members of the Advisory Committee on the spread of the virus throughout Cyprus. The President was also presented with epidemiological data as recorded over the last seven days.
Based on this data, in both Nicosia and Larnaca and Famagusta, the dispersion of the coronavirus continues to show an upward trend, with Nicosia having recorded in the last seven days 35% of the cases of coronavirus detected and located behind Limassol where 41% of confirmed cases were recorded.
Of course, with regard to the cumulative impact, i.e. the proportion of cases per 100,000 population, Famagusta seems to take precedence over the other two provinces since it touches 300 cases. Nicosia is followed by 250 and Larnaca exceeds 200 incidents per 100,000 population.
At yesterday's meeting at the Presidential, according to information from the "F", disagreements were recorded among the scientists, since some had expressed the view that the Government would be more appropriate to proceed with a global lockdown for the next two weeks, so that the dispersion of the coronavirus could be intercepted simultaneously in all provinces. There have also been some who have suggested even more relaxation of restrictions in the run-up to Christmas, but most have taken the view that the practice that has been applied so far should continue and includes 'local interventions' in the areas where there has been a greatest outbreak.
Scientists are expected to return to the Presidential tomorrow morning to re-meet with the President of the Republic. The Council of Ministers will then meet and the decisions of the Government will be announced by the Minister of Health Konstantinos Ioannou.
Another 35 cases in a nursing home
Another 35 cases were detected yesterday in a nursing home, most of them involving elderly residents. It is the "Clementio" nursing home in Nicosia and the first for the tenth nursing home in Cyprus and the third in the nicosia province with a large influx of cases. In the nursing home he had presented a positive result in the previous days working and was followed yesterday by on-site sampling via a mobile unit.
Yesterday a total of 254 cases of coronavirus were reported, resulting from 6,431 laboratory tests. These include 46 of the 48 people who had tested positive for a rapid diagnosis test in the previous days and were subsequently verified by a molecular test. The two proved to be 'false positives'.
With regard to rapid diagnostic tests, a total of 5,555 tests were carried out yesterday, resulting in 97 positive results.
In the province of Nicosia 540 checks were carried out in the community of Agia Varvara with 15 positive results, in the community of Paliomethou 801 checks with 6 positive results and in Anthoupolis 450 checks with 13 positive results.
In the province of Limassol in the old port of the city, 335 checks were carried out with 8 positive results, in the community of Pelendri 252 checks were carried out with 1 positive result, in the community of Agros, 216 checks without positive results, in the community of Palodia 298 checks with 3 positive results and in the community of Trajon 339 checks with 3 positive results.
In the province of Larnaca, 482 checks were carried out in the Municipality of Aradippou with 17 positive results, in the Municipality of Dromolaxias 352 checks were carried out with 3 positive results and in the community of Oroklini 317 checks were carried out with 10 positive results.
In Famagusta province, 474 checks were carried out in the Municipality of Paralimni with 11 positive results.
As far as the National Guard is concerned, yesterday 699 checks were carried out with 2 positive results.
It is reported that 48 people who had tested positive for a rapid diagnosis test were subjected to a molecular examination. Of these, 46 were verified and two proved to be 'false positives'.
Another 400,000 rapid tests bought by the Government
An additional 400,000 rapid antigen tests are being marketed by the Ministry of Health in order to extend the population control that is already under way.
At the same time and in addition to the checks of citizens on a cyprus basis, checks will be extended, with a higher number of tests, to camps, while in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, a rapid test programme will be implemented in school units.
Part of the quantity, according to a notice, 'will be used to intensify checks on workers (weekly) and residents (monthly) in nursing homes, rehabilitation centres and other closed structures from next week, immediately after the completion of the control programme using the molecular examination method already under way'.
