Government and experts on για alarm for ‘Omicron’ – New announcements for the festive season

By Dimitris Gatsios

At the beginning of the fortnightly festive season, which, as usual, is accompanied by images of intense synchronicity and socializing, the “Omicron” strain of the pandemic virus keeps government and experts on a red alert.

Developments on the Covid-19 front and the spread of the new mutation across Europe were at the center of yesterday afternoon meeting at the Maximos Palace. At the meeting, which was attended by the political leadership of the Ministry of Health, Professor Sotiris Tsiodras and close associates of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, all the latest developments were discussed, scenarios were examined, such as the increase of tests on holidays and an emergency was held. on Sunday, as today the Prime Minister will be on an official visit to Bulgaria. Any decisions, however, are referred for the next two twenty-four hours. The goal of the government staff and scientists is to save as much time as possible that αποτελεί the bridge to the safe “reading” of all the extensions of “Omicron”, but also to increase the vaccination cycle of the first and commemorative dose in the community. According to information, no new measures were decided at yesterday’s meeting, however no one is able to rule out further interventions, which will put embankments in a rapid spread of the new executive in Greece. A spread that would test the health system, while opening the door to the fifth pandemic wave.

“The emergency plan is to delay Omicron, to have more data, and we will take whatever action we need to take. We have ruled out a general lockdown. Our direction is for the restrictions to apply mainly to those who are not vaccinated. “The basic principle is to have a lot of vaccinations. Omicron is changing the data in the minds of all countries,” said (Mega) the Minister of Health, Thanos Plevris. So, having ruled out any possibility of a new lockdown in the country, which would put the economy and society in a whirlwind, the government is betting on two fronts, aiming at a health-safe holiday season. The first is related to strict controls for compliance with pandemic virus measures. The second is related to the promotion of an extensive testing plan, which will be submitted to both vaccinated and unvaccinated. “We have provided the opportunity for a free self test for everyone, in order to check their epidemiological situation and in case they are carriers of the disease, to protect themselves and not inadvertently contribute to the spread of the infection. We announced PCR for those “They will visit the country, for our fellow citizens who will return from abroad. And we also have a specific framework, in terms of how it operates in the public sphere, in open spaces, indoors,” he said. But what will happen if the… signs of the pandemic virus… are borne? In this case, no one can rule out the possibility of a new round of measures, aimed at protecting public health and… breath in the NSS. And the scenarios that are circulating are many.

“It is imperative that we intensify the acceleration of vaccination, with even greater emphasis on the third dose, as our scientists point out that, at this stage, it is the best line of defense we have.” With this remark, Kyriakos Mitsotakis defined, once again, as one of the biggest bets the… raising the speed of “Eleftheria”. The government states that they are satisfied with the course of the appointments for those over 60, after the move of the obligation. In the scenarios, then, there is always the extension of this measure to other age categories. With the 50 to 60 group dominating the discussions. At the moment, Megaro Maximou has not made any decision. However, such a possibility can not be ruled out, especially since the “Omicron” strain requires drastic moves on the vaccination front. At the same time, another scenario that can not be ruled out is the increase in testing, without, however, final decisions being made as to what form this increase will take and what activities it will involve, in order to exist as much as possible. better tracking and. closing the margins of coronavirus spread. “We will all wait for the discussion in the committee,” government officials said. If there are no decisions, they will be announced in the coming days.

What other measures could come to the fore if pandemic conditions so require? A first would be the universal use of a mask outdoors. With the… asterisk, that is, of synchronicity being absent. A second would be the restrictions on nightly mass entertainment. That is, in places of entertainment, where only the vaccinated enter. A scenario that would bring to the fore restrictions for this category of citizens, possibly with the use of rapid test. At the same time, according to information, there are scientists who would not view negatively the possibility that the return of students to the desks after the Christmas holidays will not take place on January 10, but a week later.