The Turkish Cypriot Medical Association, the Turkish Cypriot Medical Association and the Turkish Cypriot Physicians Union said, “The gradual removal of restrictive measures is to play Russian roulette.”
It was also noted that all the world and health authorities have warned of a potential second wave of Covid-19, if restrictions on the public are removed to soon. Gradual relaxation of restrictions was essential. A second wave of the coronavirus could return in the Autumn and could be even more devastating, they said.
The statement by the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association, the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association and the Cyprus Turkish Physicians Union continued as follows:
“Among the preparatory works that we are trying to carry out diligently and cautiously, the Council of Ministers announced on Monday (May 4th) the decision to lift the curfew for all those living in the country and to open all their work places except for a very limited area. It was astonished that society to be so daring and brave in opening up while boasting that we were successful by taking radical and early measures at the very beginning of the process. It is not disclosed by which scientific data the government has taken these decisions in consultation with which boards.
“It is also observed that no measures were taken to protect the most ‘at risk’ group among the decisions.”
The physicians’ statement said that they did not see the logic of ending the partial daytime curfew with the exception of Sunday and keeping the full night time curfew in place between 9pm and 6am.
Would it not be even more traumatic if a new wave of cases of Covid-19 emerged in the coming week and society had, once again, to be locked down, they asked.
“Medical practices are based on evidence. If we are struggling with a disease, we should look towards science, research, data, and practice based on evidence. We must listen to the experience of the rest of the world and the warnings of scientists and authorities. In some countries that have achieved success by taking early measures to combat the epidemic, there are experiences showing that the disease has spread rapidly and that losses cannot be prevented after the early and collective removal of the measures. We, as the physicians and organisations of our country, think that it is necessary to gradually remove the measures, in other words, to have at least three weeks between each stage, to evaluate the risk every two weeks, and to emphasise that our success as a society should not be wasted.
“We state that if the government does not abandon these decisions, which will mean total opening, it will be responsible for every life that will be lost, and it is equivalent to playing Russian roulette to risk the health of society so readily without scientific studies.”
Yeniduzen
