Lutsar: No decision on emergency situation length before Orthodox Easter
Virology professor and member of the government's coronavirus task force Irja Lutsar said that it is still too early to speculate whether the emergency situation will finish as scheduled at the end of April, but confirmed that nothing will change in Estonia in terms of restrictions before Orthodox Easter on April 19.
The situation remains stable, but there has been a slight upwards trend regarding recorded cases, Lutsar told ERR.
"We cannot clearly see a drop in the need for hospital beds or the number of patients needing intensive care. We are in the middle phase. There are no signs of upwards curve, either," Lutsar said. She added that there are currently enough hospital and intensive care beds for both coronavirus patients and other cases.
According to Lutsar, the prolongation of the state of emergency is in the hands of the government and the Scientific Advisory Board has not yet made recommendations on this matter as it is still too early for that.
"There will definitely be no changes before Easter and the Orthodox Easter," Lutsar said. In 2020, Easter falls on Sunday, April 12. Orthodox Easter Sunday is on April 19.
Lutsar acknowledges there is no good answer to how long a person can still be infectuous after being confirmed cured of the coronavirus. In one study conducted by German scientists, the researchers were no longer able to obtain infectious virus particles from day 8 after the initial onset of symptoms.
"There are very few studies. The test stays positive for a long time. Whether these people are infectious or not - I cannot say one way or another," she added.
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Editor: Anders Nõmm