Health Board: Stay at home when awaiting COVID-19 test results
Those awaiting a coronavirus test result must remain in quarantine and act on the assumption that a test may return positive, the Health Board (Terviseamet) says.
Tiia Luht, head of the board' southern region, said: "As we can see, the spread of SARS-CoV2 in Estonia is stable, and the infection can be contracted almost anywhere."
Luht added there have recently been cases of people who are awaiting a test result doing the school and kindergarten run during that time.
The board also criticized misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the virus which the board says have been propagating on social media.
Such misinformation is causing people to place their own and others' health at unnecessary risk and is also prolonging the stage at which normal, everyday life might be resumed, the board says.
"We encourage people to follow the state's official information channels and share only the information that is verified by these sources.
Face-masks in schools not mandatory
The Health Board has also clarified the regulations on wearing face-masks in schools and kindergartens. This is not mandatory, the board says, since the facilities are not public spaces as such, but when schools get used for de facto public gatherings, such as parent-teacher meetings, then masks must be worn.
Following a query on the matter form the Türi rural municipality, the board said: "If there is a meeting or event at an educational institution which involves people from outside, or parents, then students, teachers as well as those entering from outside are required to wear a mask."
A scarf or similar can take the place of a mask, provided it covers the mouth and nose, the board added, but a perspex or similar visor cannot. That said, the board noted that individuals at work are entitled to wear a visor, though these do not cover the mouth and nose in the same way a mask does.
Schools which have unilaterally imposed coronavirus regulations such as wearing a face-mask or sending students on quarantine who had been on vacation in a non-high-risk (at the time) coronavirus nation have faced criticism from the authorities.
Up-to-date information is available at the crisis website and the Health Board's website, and also on the state information hotline on 1247.
ERR News obtains its coronavirus updates data from the Health Board, which issues a daily press release.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte
