| DOHA: Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Strategic Group on Covid-19 and Head of the Infectious Diseases Division at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), has said the government could delay the lifting of coronavirus restrictions if infections rise in Qatar. Speaking at a press conference, he said: “We are midway through the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, but progression to Phase 4 depends on continuous improvements in the number of new daily cases. Unless we adhere to all the preventive measures, there is a real risk of returning to earlier phases.” He stated: “If they indicate a worrying increase, the Ministry of Public Health may recommend the government to delay the transition to the fourth stage. At the peak of the virus in Qatar, we saw more than 2,000 new confirmed cases a day, yet for the past few weeks the number has constantly remained under 500 cases. This is a considerable achievement but the evidence from countries around the world shows that it is very difficult to completely eradicate the virus.” “We expect a low, but consistent, number of new cases to be identified each day for many months. It is clear that the world will be living with the virus for some time to come.” Al Khal said adolescents and youth are the most common group among which the virus is currently spreading due to family visits. He said: “Although we are lifting restrictions across the country and many aspects of our daily life are returning to some sort of normal, we must not become complacent. Despite the total number of new cases declining considerably in recent weeks and months, there has been a worrying trend of increasing cases within the Qatari national and expat professional population groups.” Al Khal said: “This is due to a minority of people within these population groups who continue to ignore preventive advice, putting themselves and those around them at risk We have seen repeated examples during both Eid holidays and throughout Ramadan of the virus spreading within families due to one or two individuals not adhering to social and physical distancing guidelines.” Al Khal said this is of particular concern as it is the elderly and those with chronic disease. Dr Hamad Al Rumaihi, Director of the Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department and co-chair of the National Pandemic Preparation Committee, said: “We expect to be living with Covid-19 to some degrees for some time to come. Only when a reliable vaccine becomes available can we confidently believe the threat of COVID-19 is passed.” |
Further lifting of restrictions could be delayed if corona cases rise
Virus is currently spreading due to family visits.
