The strategy was decided and not the date, it was the clear message of the President of the Republic who in his Easter sermon called on the citizens to trust him and not to listen to the dissenters but the Ecumenical Patriarch and the head of the Church of Cyprus. "It is not the Faith that is at stake, but the faithful," he said, repeating their phrases.
After a month of quarantine, the Government now begins to plan the scenarios for the next day in order to "break" the padlock of the country step by step. However, the immediate goal that the Government wants to achieve is for the situation to remain under control and for there to be no relaxation by the majority of citizens on Easter days. The first period of calculation that fell on the table is after Easter, in May, depending on the epidemiological data. As stated by the Minister of Finance, Konstantinos Petridis, depending on the epidemiological data, we will say which sectors of the economy and business can be reopened. "Our success in the gradual opening of either businesses or the economy will also depend on how disciplined we are in the decrees, especially in the coming period, during the Easter period," he said, speaking on state radio.
The plan for the phasing out of the restrictive measures includes three phases with a time horizon of the end of 2020, so that this plan becomes realistic for a restart of the economy. The establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the Minister of Finance and consisting of the Ministers of Health, Transport, Labor and the Deputy Minister of Tourism, under the guidance of the epidemiological team of the Ministry of Health, will take decisions. In essence, the epidemiological picture in the country will allow the relevant ministries to work out a plan for the partial lifting of restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. "It is a strategy that can be differentiated according to the groups of citizens, the sectors of social life, possibly also geographical areas and will determine exactly which economic sectors we can reopen," he said.
The Minister of Finance also stated that "the third stage of the strategy for which we are preparing but it always depends on the data, is the restart of the economy that concerns the period of September and December".
The exit map from the lockdown aims to gradually reheat the engines of the economy. One of the sectors that is expected to start first, if conditions allow, is that of real estate and more specifically of construction sites, so that on the one hand a significant part of the productive activity starts and at the same time the obligations of employee support are gradually discharged by the State. Among the first areas that will return, according to the information, are those of hairdressers, barbers and care.
In the process, it will be examined when the low-density retail stores will open, when the shopping malls (malls) that gather a lot of people will open. At least for the first time it should be considered how they will be accepted and if there are any restrictions. Perhaps the tactic followed in the case of supermarkets - with square meters - will also apply when the measures are lifted in some stores. It should also be considered when gyms, cafes, bars, restaurants, cultural venues, cinemas and museums will open. Decisions will have to be made as to whether they will function as they did before the coronavirus or have less than half the tables in operation. Regarding those who do not belong to the vulnerable groups, the Government is expected to consider when the measures will be relaxed, but at a controlled pace.
Source: philenews