The time is ripe to develop a cooperative framework, with the aim of creating a safe environment for schools reopening in a few weeks, said Zoi-Dorothea Pana, Lecturer of Pediatrics at the European University Cyprus and a member of the Ministry of Health’s scientific advisory team. The Ministry of Education is in constant contact with the Ministry of Health, who are responsible to announce any relevant decisions on the matter, she added.
Speaking to CNA, Pana said that it is important for schools to reopen, as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control pointed out, adding that “we need to find an appropriate framework, in order to create a safe environment within schools.”
Replying to a relevant question, the member of the scientific advisory team said that there is a sense of urgency throughout the pandemic, and this is why the Ministry of Health developed appropriate protocols for all working environments, including schools. These protocols need however to be revised in a dynamic manner, adapting to current epidemiological trends, she went on.
Zoi-Dorothea Pana also highlighted the importance of having everyone on board when it comes to observing measures, including the parents.
On his part, asked about a videoconference with the Minister of Health, on Wednesday, Petros Karayiannis, Professor of Microbiology/Molecular Virology at the University of Nicosia Medical School and a member of the scientific advisory team, told CNA that “our epidemiological condition is improving; therefore, we are going to weigh things and see.” In a question, whether he expects any new measures to be introduced, he said that this is for the Minister to announce, in case something like this comes up.
Asked about local lockdowns, as a way to address an outbreak, Karayiannis said that governments are not able to sustain a horizontal lockdown, similar to the one in place back in March and April. Everyone has gained experience during the first wave of the pandemic and people have learned how to react when there is an outburst, as was the case in Limassol, he added.
According to Karayiannis, the situation in Limassol is improving and observing personal protection measures is paying off. Other countries, such as Greece, Spain, the UK and Germany, also introduced local lockdowns, therefore this is the way to go, in order to focus on the area of the problem and prevent a wider transmission of the virus, he concluded.
