The number of covid-19 cases recorded daily has now surpassed the accepted epidemiological parameters set by the government scientific team, said Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Infection Prevention and Control at the European University Constantinos Tsioutis on Tuesday.
Forty-one new cases of coronavirus were announced on Monday out of a total of 2,610 tests.
The continued rise in cases has prompted the health ministry to announce new restrictions in social gatherings in Nicosia and Limassol.
Tsioutis, who is also a member of the government epidemiological team, said the upcoming winter months will pose another difficult challenge with the a potential influenza outbreak.
“We are not out of the woods, the pandemic has not yet passed,” he said.
“We risk spending the rest of the year as we did during the previous months and, if we don’t respect the health measures in place, 2021 is also at risk.
Tsioutis also called on employers to take additional measures in their businesses to ensure the safety of all their employees and limit the transmission of the virus.
He said further recommendations would be given to the employers, since recently, most of the recent cases originate from workplaces, where the chain of transmission is stronger.
“It seems that many people do not follow the health protocols in their workplaces,” he said.
“We are working on a simplified protocol, which might be easier to follow in places like shops, restaurants and bars. It is important that the measures are understood and followed correctly.”
Tsioutis also called on employers to promote smart working when applicable.
Regarding the current number of daily cases in Cyprus, he said the rise was expected given the situation.
“We have to accept that, in contrast to a few months ago, everything is now open in the island, so more cases detected are not a surprise.
“However, even considering that, the number of cases at the moment is too high, so we need to get ready to have additional measures for several months to come.”
Finally, Tsioutis ruled out the possibility of having another total lockdown in Cyprus. He said the government had no intention of doing so. For now the stricter measures should be enough if followed correctly.
“It would be important to enter the winter period with the best epidemiological picture possible, since people will spend more in proximity to each other,” he said.
