Veryga spoke about pending changes: self-isolation rules may change soon

The greatest risk is in educational institutions

At the start of the new school year on Tuesday, illnesses are reported daily in educational institutions and classes that start working remotely. Veryga said that nothing more was expected and that it shouldn’t have been.

“It was natural to expect that when everyone gets together in educational institutions, there will be cases where infections will be detected there, that’s what we see. Apparently, there is no big surprise here. (Mat) We see that some of the diseases come from hotspots, we still have cases where the origin of the infection cannot be identified, it is very natural that some of these cases are transferred to schools ”, said the Minister.

He said the figures are not high yet and the situation is under control.

“So far, those figures should not be considered very large, knowing that there are more than a thousand educational institutions in the country. And really, we are only talking about some educational institutions. Of course, if it was expected that everything would stop here, but as for people to move and communicate, we are likely to see more of those cases, ”said A. Veryga.

The politician added that educational institutions must prepare for that.

“Recommendations were made after the infection was detected, so that the entire educational institution would not have to suspend its activities, so that only a part of the children and teachers would isolate themselves, spend time there and return to the educational process,” explained the interlocutor.

“The numbers we have now shouldn’t be dramatized,” he said.

Some educational institutions already make the decision to isolate themselves before specific cases are confirmed, but with the knowledge that a member of the educational community may be potentially infected with the coronavirus, even without waiting for an order from the National Center for Public Health ( NVSC) to do so.

The Minister of Health, A. Veryga, assured that schools should be isolated only when the situation is completely clear.

“Excessive surveillance, everyone is going to isolate themselves, with no test results yet, this is what all educational institutions could do. Because, in theory, people can be infected everywhere, but tests are done for that, NVSC epidemiologists conduct a so-called focus assessment and say how far many children and teachers should isolate themselves. And it is not very rational to be afraid of a breakthrough, so not all of us should be nosy outside the home. ” Delphi A. Veryga said.

The Minister of Health identified the new school year as the greatest current risk in educational institutions.

“Until now, educational institutions are the main source of anxiety, not only the infection itself is concerned, but also how institutions manage to regulate their flows, how they manage to implement the recommendations in the regions and handle the situation without panic.” Because there is no need to panic here, just a cold mind to evaluate it. This is the biggest concern here, ”said the minister.

The interlocutor added that he is also concerned about the cold season of the year due to the colds it causes.

Shortening Self-Isolation: Next Week

Last week, A. Veryga alluded to the possibility of shortening the self-isolation period when testing for coronavirus after about a week. If negative, the self-insulation may be broken. This order should be prepared in mid-September.

“It just came to our attention then. That order is likely to be ready around September 15. The principle itself is very simple: to shorten said isolation, those people who find it relevant to go to work will probably do it, it will be necessary perform a test. (…) Doctors affirm that the most likely detection of infection is 7-9 days after contact. This is the time and a test should be performed, and only if it is negative will it be allowed to shorten the isolation “, he said. the Minister.

He said he hoped it didn’t become a mass phenomenon.

“It just came to our notice then. But still, it takes a bit of effort to run that test – going to a moving point is not a very pleasant procedure. I don’t know if people here will jump unnecessarily for a few days to check. I think we will still weigh whether we really need to do that, “the minister said.

Red edges need to be checked

The European Commission has presented new recommendations on coronavirus restrictions, which may lead to a relaxation of bans in Lithuania.

A. Veryga Delphi it said Monday morning that Lithuania is in favor of general recommendations on such restrictions.

“It is very good that the current German presidency has proposed a more general plan of measures and restrictions. Lithuania, as a country, advocated such implementation of common principles, provided that countries could adapt to some stricter measures in case of an emergency. Lithuania is not the country that controls everything as strictly as Hungary, it really poses difficult situations related to the free movement of goods and labor ”, said the interlocutor.

Mr Veryga recalled that morbidity rates and their limits should also be reviewed.

“Hopefully the parties will agree and also have a more general policy on indicators. It was one: 16 cases per 100 thousand population in the last 14 days. Now that several EU countries have already exceeded this figure, it seems that should be reviewed. Because it becomes a bit illogical to close when the situation is similar, or even worse. These proposals are logical, but we will see how they end. The parties have expressed their positions, we are waiting for a reaction from the European Commission, “said the Minister A. Veryga.

NVSC without notice: local quarantine

The latest case statistics are published daily to cover cases in which epidemiologists cannot identify the source of the disease. Health Minister A. Veryga does not blame NVSC staff for this, who, in turn, say they can only answer one in three calls.

“Until now, these unknown diseases are not due to the failure of the NVSC staff, but, as epidemiologists themselves have said, they do not always remember who they interacted with, where they were, what they might have contracted. Sometimes he doesn’t even say it, although it is very difficult to understand why he does. I think the most important thing here is that in some cases the source of the infection cannot be found ”, he gave his assessment.

“We can reach that limit when we cannot find all the diseases,” said the interlocutor.

In this case, we should talk about local quarantine.

“It just came to our notice then. The strategy is designed to respond locally, to see which cities are in a bad situation, where they are most prevalent. In theory, there may be a situation where the coronavirus is very prevalent in city X in places of entertainment or cultural events. This is where local quarantine can be applied to some area of ​​activity. That should be the reaction, that is what we should expect, “said the Minister.

Is it time for massive events?

Capital Days were lively in Vilnius over the weekend. The minister agreed that it would be absolutely safe to sit on the sofa at home, but we cannot forget life.

“It just came to our attention then. But we realize that everyone is balancing on that limit: how to make society can live a more, less ordinary life, because it cannot be stopped due to infection. And it is clear how to guarantee that security measures are observed ”, said the minister about the new challenge.

“I’ve talked before about events that happen, obviously they increase the risk, but it all depends on how we behave when we go there. (…) Of course, even with all means, the risk is greater than sitting on a sofa at home, but it is manageable, it is not tragically high ‘, – about participating in massive events Delphi A. Veryga said.

Health Minister A. Veryga said he did not know how long the Baltic bubble would last. Everything, according to him, will depend on the management of the infection in the countries and the decision of Latvia.

“Obviously we want that bubble to stay”, Delphi Minister A. Veryga spoke.

The Minister said that there was still a possibility that Latvia would have to wait for Latvia’s decision every Friday.

We recall that 43 new cases of coronavirus were registered in the country on Saturday.

On Friday, Lithuania surpassed 16 cases per 100,000. population in the last 14 days.