Lifting restrictions doesn''t mean laxity in following precautions

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) The four-phased lifting of restrictions imposed by Qatar to contain the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) has come into effect on Friday, in view of the positive indicators seen on the number of infections in the society. Qatar has done well by maintaining one of the lowest Covid-19 death rates in the world, besides registering a fall in the number of hospital admissions and a decrease in the number of daily cases in the last few weeks. At the peak of the coronavirus, Qatar had seen more than 2,000 new confirmed cases a day, but for the past few weeks the number has fallen with only 202 cases being registered on Friday.  Although Qatar was worried about a rise in infections after the Eid holidays, these were considerably low due to the high level of awareness among the people and the progress of the national vaccination programme, stated Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Strategic Group on Covid-19 and head of the Infectious Diseases Division at HMC. However, Dr al-Khal was quick to add that the gradual lifting of restrictions in the coming period does not mean laxity in strictly following the preventive and precautionary measures as the virus is still there and spreading in many countries around the world. Data show nearly 60% of eligible people in Qatar have got at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 1mn people have received both doses. The experience in Qatar and other countries around the world has shown vaccination and precautionary measures complement each other. Wherever there has been an early, massive and efficient roll out of vaccines, the number of cases has fallen significantly.  For this reason, people should continue to follow the measures to continue curbing the spread of the disease. The new strains of the virus are more infectious and spread more quickly, and the measures are there for the protection of the people, in particular those who have not got the vaccine so far.  ''As more and more people get the vaccine, more privileges will be given to them,” Dr al-Khal noted. The pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges for all of us. We are still learning more and more about coronavirus every single day, but our public health experts continue to warn that you don’t actually have to be exhibiting symptoms to spread the new coronavirus. A person infected with the virus can be contagious as early as three days before he or she begins showing symptoms. In addition, some people never develop symptoms, but are still able to spread the virus. The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a new level of personal accountability on each one of us. To slow the spread of coronavirus and protect the health and vitality of our people, we must remain committed to the extra precautions our public health officials are recommending. At the core of these preventive measures is the need for continued social distancing and take all of the precautions seriously — even if one is healthy. So let us not let our guard down on mitigating the impact of Covid-19!MENAFN30052021000067011011ID1102173627