Coronavirus: Plea for vigilance as outdoor gatherings of 150 allowed
Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has called for vigilance, saying that the coronavirus has still not gone away as more restrictions were lifted on Wednesday.
“Despite the good epidemiological outlook Cyprus presents, we are unfortunately not over with the virus,” the minister said in a Facebook post. “That is why we must continue to be very careful.”
The ten-person limit at social gatherings in houses and public areas was lifted on Wednesday, while the numbers of people allowed at indoor and outdoor gatherings have been raised.
Originally, the plan was for 50 people to be allowed indoors and 100 people outdoors, but considering the latest positive epidemiological data, the ministry decided to increase the number to 75 and 150 respectively.
Simultaneous indoor and outdoor gatherings were not allowed, however.
The health ministry said that mass gatherings include weddings, christenings, concerts, festivals, private gatherings at home and any other form of public gathering.
For social gatherings taking place in homes, the maximum number includes permanent residents.
Earlier in the day, member of the advisory committee on coronavirus, Dr Maria Koliou, said that people have stopped taking protection measures warning that the virus is still within the community.
The fact that there have been zero cases for a few days, does not mean the virus is gone, she said.
“The virus is simply rarer than it was before. This, however, does not mean that we won’t come across someone near us with the virus and who can transmit it to us,” Koliou told the Cyprus News Agency.
People need to continue following the protection measures such as keeping a two-metre distance from others, using masks in indoor, crowded areas, ventilate indoor areas and washing of hands.
The post Coronavirus: Plea for vigilance as outdoor gatherings of 150 allowed appeared first on Cyprus Mail.