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August dismisses us with a record number of cases, heralding the demanding autumn that follows and the difficult path our country must travel. From the “normal” of the two months from June to July, the disease epidemic. COVID-19 showed signs of relief and offered relief to Greek society, August even upset the previous good result. Of the 1,045 cases in July, August is expected to close with a record number of cases as well As of Sunday, 5,571 new cases had been reported. and the number of intubated patients in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) tripled.
Experts had estimated that the sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the first week of August it would lead to more than 400 cases per day in the second 15 days of the month. Fortunately, the scenario was not confirmed, as daily cases are consistently below 300, with an average of 200 cases / day.
“Although August was an unpredictable month, in the end we observed a relative flattening of the curve due to local restrictive measures that were implemented in time in areas with high viral load,” he told “THEMA”. Nikolaos Sypsas, Professor of Physiology of Pathological Infections at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA) and member of the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health for the new coronavirus.
Back to the desks
The end of the summer holidays, the return of vacationers to permanent residences and the opening of education are the variables that experts will take into account when deciding what will happen in the autumn months. “The epidemiological characteristics of the last week of August and those of the first week of September will help us to have a clear idea of what happened during the period of August 15 and what will happen next,” explains Mr. Sypsas.
The first week of September will play a key role in the decision to open schools of Primary and Secondary Education, which it will eventually be postponed until September 14 and not on July 9, as originally announced. Details will be announced on Tuesday. by the Ministries of Education, the Interior and the Central Union of Greek Municipalities.
“For the schools to open, the families must have returned to their permanent residences as soon as possible.” That the children, but also the parents, remain in self-control for seven days, away from grandparents and any other vulnerable group in the community. population, as we advise all those who return from vacation and then the school structures operate safely “, points the professor of Pathological Physiology. EKPA infections in” THEMA “.
The Committee of Experts was not in favor of the gradual opening of schools, that is, the opening of Primary Schools and later of Gymnasiums and Lyceums in the first phase, but it will certainly take into account the local characteristics of the epidemic with the in order to modify the operating pattern of schools.. In other words, it is not ruled out that in areas with a high burden of coronavirus, schools open gradually and not all at the same time.
Regarding the scenario of the operation of the schools in the morning and afternoon shift, it has been rejected by the Ministry of Education, due to costs (estimated daily cost of 10 million euros) but also due to the problem that it would create in many working parents. Thus, although it is proposed to create sufficient distances between students in the classroom, it is not scientifically proven that the creation of more classes offers any benefit. On the contrary, epidemiological models show that the more possible outbreaks we create, the greater the chances of uncontrolled spread of the virus.
What is certain, however, is that students and teachers will return to schools accompanied by antiseptics and with the use of More expensive in all interior areas, while outside it will be used only in case of overcrowding. During breaks, which will now take place in groups and not all classes at the same time, as well as in gym class, the use of the mask is not foreseen.
The mask will be mandatory for teachers and drivers, assistants, students on school buses, as well as during the period of adjustment of children by the assistant / parent of the child. Special instructions for the use of the mask will be issued by the National Public Health Organization (EODY) for students who are excluded from the use of the mask for specific medical reasons.
Adapted to new conditions will be the operation of the school canteens to avoid synchronicity. For example, students will order what they want to eat during the morning recess before class, and there will be a strong recommendation to use a water bottle or individual water bottle.
For students who refuse to wear a mask during class. your removal from the room is planned. The Minister of Education Niki Kerameos He stressed that the mask is mandatory “so it is not mandatory for someone to come to school without a mask.”
It is worth noting that the Hellenic Society of Pediatrics has ruled that the mask can be used safely on all children over 2 years of age. Its use does not obstruct respiration or affect oxygenation, since construction materials (for example, cotton or linen cloth) allow the passage of air and oxygen. The mask does not affect the function and development of the lungs, nor the function of the immune system, while it does not distract the children from the lesson.
What will happen to the universities?
“The 20 to 30 year old age group that makes up the population of Higher Education students is currently the” locomotive “of the epidemic. “They are the ones who have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus in the community and the increase in the number of older patients,” recalls Mr. Sypsas.
This is exactly the parameter that led the Committee of Experts to establish for Higher Education the talks and courses for up to 50 people to be held in person, while the rest at a distance. It is recalled that the September exam will be the same as the June one, that is, each university choose the form of the exam: live or remotely.
Nursing homes
For the better protection of the elderly, who since the beginning of the epidemic are those who mostly need hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit and tend to lose their lives due to the complications of COVID-19, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Domna Michailidou unveiled a new package on Friday for the optimal functioning of nursing homes.
New local measures
Also on Friday, Deputy Minister of Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias announced new restrictive measures in regional units Zakynthos and Lesbos based on recent epidemiological data.
In particular, following a suggestion of the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health, it was decided in the EP Zakynthos and Lesbos:
■ Suspension of any type of event such as parties, fairs, processions, public markets, etc.
Prohibition of any type of meeting of citizens over 9 people for any reason, both in public and in private.
■ In the dining areas a maximum number of people at each table is allowed up to 4 people, unless they are first degree relatives where up to 6 people are allowed.
The use of a mask is mandatory both outdoors and indoors.
It is recalled that the ban on the operation of all health warehouses from midnight to 07.00 hours is already in force. of the following in specific areas.
Chania, Halkidiki, Mykonos, Paros and Antiparos remain subject to special restrictive measures. While in PE Imathia applies:
Λειτουργίας Ban on the operation of restaurants and entertainment venues from midnight to 07:00.
A maximum of 50 people for all public and social events and gatherings, except those to which special rules apply, such as restaurants, theaters, cinemas.
The regions of Crete, East Macedonia and Thrace, as well as Attica, the Regional Units of Thessaloniki, Larissa, Corfu, Karditsa, Pella, Pieria and the municipalities of Santorini, Volos, Rhodes and Kos are in an area with an epidemiological burden.
The above restrictive measures are valid for 17 days, from Saturday 8/29 at 06:00 am. until Tuesday 9/15 at 06:00 am
What will happen to the focus?
The opening of schools and the sampling controls that EODY will carry out on the educational structures, as well as the restrictive measures in the areas of epidemiological burden will determine what will be born with the restaurants and entertainment centers in the rest of the fall.
“If there are a number of cases, then we will recommend the application of restrictive measures in areas Attention and entertainment again locally. We are not going to go to a horizontal confinement, like that of the first wave of the epidemic “, says Mr. Sypsas in” THEMA “and clarifies that” a generalized closure in the restaurant and in the stores in general would be decided only if the last way the schools remain open. “We would shut down everything else first to protect the schools and keep them running safely.”
What will happen to the masks?
The epidemiological burden of the first ten days of September will determine what will happen with the use of the mask. “At present there is a strong recommendation for the use of the mask, where there are many people, even when it comes to open spaces, and where distances cannot be observed,” recalls the member of the Committee of Experts.
The use of a mask is mandatory for both employees and the public in public services and private companies with public service, places of worship, supermarkets and grocery stores, public transport and taxis, hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers, shops, pharmacy. , hairdressers, beauty salons and gyms, elevators and any other interior space.
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