We will have to continue our lives by taking protective measures at least until the beginning of 2021, lecturer of Internal Medicine & Infection Prevention and Control at the European University of Cyprus, and member of the Scientific Committee on the pandemic, Constantinos Tsioutis told CNA, adding that people should continue to be careful in the next few months.
“We will continue to live with coronavirus and for this reason, in the next few months we will not be able to return to pre-COVID-19 levels,” Tsioutis said. He added that the basic prerequisite to return to these levels is the population to be sufficiently immune, which in turn means that many will have to get ill. “This is what we try to avoid at this moment for public health reasons” he said. Another way for immunity is mass vaccination, Tsioutis added.
Taking this into account, all protection measures that we apply in daily life will continue at least until the beginning of 2021, he added. Personal protection measures, keeping the distance and keeping an eye for close contacts will be part of our routine for many months, Tsioutis said.
Replying to a question, the professor said that even if we reach zero cases in the next few days, we should not change our safety procedures or stop keeping physical distance.
He also noted that high temperatures are also helping efforts to contain the virus, as more people will stay outdoors and will avoid overcrowding, reducing thus the risk for transition though close contact.
Tsioutis also expressed the view that pupils will return safely to school classrooms and pointed to the continuous tests conducted in the country’s education facilities, indicating low levels of positive COVID-19 cases.
(CNA)
