Covid expert calling for immediate lockdown

The Faroes are currently Europe’s Covid hotspot, and the situation is critical.

“If we don’t see a drop in the number of new cases – a big drop to no more than 10-20 – within the next couple of days, we will have a massive problem on our hands, says the country’s leading epidemiologist, Shahin Gaïni.

”I see no consistency in partially closing a couple of schools while at the same time placing no restrictions on potential superspreader events such as nightlife activities,” he says.

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“This may have made sense when the outbreaks were relatively small, but I doubt very much that it will work with the infection rates we’re seeing now.” 

It would be far more effective, he adds, to introduce a so-called snap lockdown for a week or so.

“Not only would this help reduce the infection rates; it would also buy some time for the health authorities, who are struggling to keep up with the surging demand for contact tracing.

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There are currently seven people in isolation on the National Hospital’s Covid ward, and this is not sustainable as it puts a great strain on the hospital’s resources.

“With the current daily rates, we risk seeing many people getting very sick, including vaccinated people.”

The daily figures need to go down immediately, he adds.

“The relatively stable number of daily cases in the past few days may actually indicate an exponential increase in new cases as we do not have the capacity to test everyone.

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“There are countless reasons why it’s unwise to just let this virus run its course, the key one being that we don’t know enough about the long-term health effects it has on people.”

He also believes it was a bad idea to suspend the Corona helpline in late August.

“We should reopen the helpline immediately because people still have lots of unanswered questions regarding this virus,” he told dimma.fo.

 >> SEE ALSO No plans for further Covid restrictions

Responding to Dr Gaïni’s criticism, Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen says he is sticking with the recommendations he received from the Epidemic Commission.

“One of the many things we have learned during this pandemic is that the situation can change from one day to the next, and we will of course consider revising our restriction policy if the situation worsens,” he says.

For further information about Covid-19 in the Faroes, visit corona.fo.

Listen to the interview with Dr Gaïni (in Faroese) here and the interview the Prime Minister (also in Faroese) here.

Translated by prosa.fo. 

More Faroese News in English.