Commenting on the current state of Covid-19 prevalence in the country, infectologist Uga Dumpis emphasized that the state of emergency in the country has already been reached and that the government’s choice to declare an official state of emergency will be a political decision. As the morbidity curve and the number of inpatients continue to rise, immediate action is needed to ensure that the health care system is not reached.
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“We can’t find extra staff and capacity is very low,”
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Liene Cipule, Director of the Emergency Medical Service, commented on the situation. She said that every citizen should be aware of the risk of illness and take the set restrictions as seriously as possible.
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Joining the opinion of colleagues, the head of the Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Immunization Division Elīna Dimiņa stated that
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the main focus should be on the number of doctors and healthcare professionals who become infected with Covid-19.
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For too long, the notion that the growing infection curve is just a coincidence has prevailed and it is now unpleasantly replayed, Dimiņa said. Although Latvia’s infection statistics are quite polite against a European background, great care must be taken not to end up in a situation such as that of the Czech Republic or Slovenia.
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Given that most new infections were recorded in households and that the number of new contacts was relatively high, experts called on the public to take self-isolation and other measures to limit the spread of the virus outside the home in order to protect themselves and their loved ones.
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Answering a question that was done insufficiently before the crisis, Dumpis said that
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the government has, on economic grounds, taken external threats too lightly,
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maintaining airports and keeping borders open, with epidemiologists maintaining a conservative position. Cipule pointed out that both the government and experts have not been able to react to the new wave of morbidity in a timely and aggressive manner.
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“The feeling that we did well gave a false sense of peace,”
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explained Cipule, blaming both politicians and experts.
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In further reducing the morbidity rate, Dumpis emphasized the need to promote cooperation with local governments, emphasizing that it was insufficient and reiterated the importance of observing the basic principles of distance.
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Reportedthat on Friday the government will decide on the declaration of a state of emergency in the country.
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