Day: April 21, 2022

Dr. Petros Karayiannis, member of the scientific committee on the pandemic and Professor at Nicosia University said on Thursday that we have entered a phase where we must live with the virus and personal responsibility is extremely significant so that we avoid a major deterioration of the situation.

Speaking to Cyprus News Agency Dr. Karayiannis said that we are not in an endemic phase yet adding that in the light of the lifting of measures in place we must continue to take self protective steps and display vigilance especially in crowded places.

He went on to say that the epidemiological indices have improved and this was the reason that generous changes in measures against the spread of COVID were decided. He underlined however, that restrictive measures are no longer in place and therefore each one of us has a duty to show personal responsibility.

Dr. Karayiannis advised the public to keep on taking personal protective measures in places of high interaction among people and to keep on wearing our face masks in closed places.

He also noted that since testing is no longer intense and frequent, we must keep an eye on symptoms and self-test for COVID which we can repeat later for confirmation.

Asked if he is worried of a possible outbreak after Easter celebrations, Dr. Karayiannis said that he does not think there will be a dramatic outbreak because the weather is also expected to be very warm and therefore people will be outdoors. He noted that measures need to be taken inside churches.

Invited to comment on the situation in Shanghai, China he said that the inoculation rates in the country are very poor and there is no immunity in the general population. He noted that authorities follow the strategy of zero cases and there was exposure only in the first wave of the disease. He said once again that the Omicron variant is very transmissible adding also that the vaccines they administer to the public are no so efficient as mRNA.

Asked about a fourth dose of the vaccine for younger ages, he said that there is a debate in the EU and the Cyprus authorities will follow directions by the ECDC.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has called on European states with persistent prison overcrowding to address this problem with determination.

It suggestssetting a maximum threshold to the number of prisoners in every penal institution – to be strictly respected – and increasing the use of alternative measures to imprisonment.

A press release by the CPT says that in its annual report for 2021, the CPT underlines that although, over the years, some countries have achieved tangible progress in tackling prison overcrowding, this problem persists in many prisons systems, especially in establishments accommodating remand prisoners.

In addition, it says that even in countries where overcrowding is not a problem in the entire prison system, particular prisons, parts of prisons or cells may be overcrowded, it says.

In the report, the CPT welcomes the measures taken in many member states to conditionally or temporarily release low-risk prisoners and to reduce resort to pre-trial detention to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Committee, however, also notes that it has become apparent that some of the arguments put forward by authorities over the years that they were unable to decongest prisons were not always fully sincere.

Finally, the CPT warns that, with the end of the stricter measures to prevent Covid-19, the number of prisoners is increasing again in certain countries, which may result in a larger number of overcrowded prisons in the future.

Source: Cyprus News Agency