New restrictive measures in catering-entertainment from January 3 – All in the background until the final decision of the government

Of Dimitris Gatsiou

In order to stop the Covid-19 transmission chains, which are created in restaurants and entertainment venues, but also in stadiums, the government announced the next grid of interventions, which will be implemented from January 3 and will have an initial duration of two weeks.

The measures have been preceded by the new “Omicron” mutation of the pandemic virus, which has been running for twenty-four hours, with the general government strategy focusing mainly on shielding the health system.

Now, the big bet for the Maximos Palace and the committee of experts is the implementation of the whole framework to mitigate the effects of the new executive in the community, a fact that will give day by day the σες necessary breaths in the hospitals.

Until yesterday afternoon, the announcements by the competent Minister of Health, Thanos Plevris, were mediated by two key meetings. The first took place at the Maximos Palace, under the leadership of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during which the latest developments on the pandemic virus front were examined.

The second was that of scientists from the Ministry of Health. At the end of it, the suggestions reached the government staff, making time flow in reverse until the. Revelation of the next phase of the plans.

Essentially, the context of the new interventions was what Mr. Plevris and Mr. Economou had foreseen, in the briefing of the journalists last Thursday.

The government, with the next grid of restrictions, is focusing on areas that are turning into outbreaks. According to the announcements of the Minister of Health, the new measures include:

Mandatory use of FFP2 / KN95 mask or alternatively double surgical mask both in supermarkets and public transport, as well as by staff in catering-entertainment.

– Fun and catering until 12 midnight. There will be no standing and up to six people will be at the tables. In any remark, from the first day of implementation of the measures, that they are not observed, there will be an interruption of the music.

– 10% occupancy rate in the stadiums, with a maximum of 1,000 people. If the measures are not followed, they will be closed completely.

– Teleworking in public and private sector which will reach up to 50% and will be implemented in parallel with rolling hours.

“The cases mainly concern our younger citizens. It is no coincidence that almost 75% of the cases are between the ages of 18 and 59, with a predominant reference age of 18 to 30, while about 20% are around the age of 18. years and only 6% in the ages over 60 years, where in fact there has been a booster dose of almost 90%, a fact that makes us optimistic about the pressure of the National Health System “, said Mr. Plevris.

The background of decisions

Until the final government announcements, one of the questions that needed to be answered was related to the time of implementation of the new framework of restrictions.

According to information, the government and experts were concerned about whether the interventions should… run immediately, however the option ρισε marked the third day of the new year. There were two elements that weighed the most.

The first is related to the fact that despite the very high number of cases, the pressure on the health system is (at the given time) controlled.

The second relates to the possibility that restrictions on catering and entertainment during the festive period of the New Year led citizens to search for different gathering places. Such as houses or even the squares of large urban centers.

“The rise in cases has particularly troubled us in terms of the measures to be taken and the time, which will be in force and discussed in committee, but in combination with the imports and discharges that are currently observed and do not show much pressure and on the other hand “The fact that any measures taken two or three days before the New Year will create a problem of indoor entertainment and recreation, led us to the decision of the measures which we will announce to be valid from January 3,” he said. Minister of Health.

On the front of education and based on the data so far, it seems that we are leading to a normal opening of schools on January 10th. And the question that remains to be answered within the first twenty-four hours of 2022 is whether interventions or changes in health protocols will be required.