Filenews 19 April 2021
Extension of existing restrictive measures until mid-May, the government has decided. Speaking to Filenews, Health Minister Konstantinos Ioannou pointed out that the decision is expected to be ratified by the Council of Ministers.
He also stressed that there is no intention to tighten the measures, since, as he characteristically said, no one wants to open it - and then close down economic activity.
Mr Ioannou stressed that in recent weeks there has been very low compliance of citizens with regard to the observance of health measures. The tracing process shows that case contacts are not restricted, and in many cases employers hide cases, the health minister said.
He pointed out that the key to tackling the pandemic is vaccinations and reiterated that the target of vaccinating 70% of the population by the end of June is achievable.
Mr. Ioannou said that 40,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine will be received today. He noted that by the end of June the state will receive a total of 600,000 doses of Pfizer's formulation, about 350,000 of AstraZeneca and about 80,000 of Moderna.
It estimated that between 70 and 75,000 people could be vaccinated within the next two weeks.
The health minister also said that the decision to reduce the time between the two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from twelve to eight weeks might be announced tomorrow.
Referring to the schools, Mr Ioannou said it was premature to say whether their closure would be extended after the Easter holidays, because, as he explained, the data could change, either for the better or dramatically for the worse. However, he noted that increased transmission has been demonstrated at young ages.
The health minister even revealed that the government's intention is for primary school pupils to return to schools in May, with a negative test for coronavirus.
Source: RIK Radio
