“I understand how tired people are and that they want to be able to leave coronavirus behind them at last,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “The government wants to ease control measures as soon as possible as well. We seem to be reaching the home straight, so now it is particularly important that as a society we make these decisions smartly, weighing up all the options and scenarios. If we don’t, the decisions we make could cost lives. Today we have taken the first steps in regard to lifting restrictions. Further easing will be possible once the spread of the virus goes into decline – hopefully during February.”
The head of government also tasked the Minister of Health and Labour with developing a specific action plan for the easing of control measures. “In doing so, there must be carefully considered solutions in place in case the epidemiological situation deteriorates,” Prime Minister Kallas advised. “In easing restrictions we have to make sure that everything ties together so that if the situation changes down the line it doesn’t cause confusion or problems for people and companies.”
The Estonian Health Board is projecting 8500-9000 new cases per day by the end of this week, indicating that the country has not yet reached the peak of its fourth wave of coronavirus.
Minister of Education and Research Liina Kersna says that in easing restrictions it is very important to start with young people. “As international organisations have said, schools should be the last to close because of COVID and the first to open up again, and that holds for Estonia as much as anywhere else,” she remarked. “The government today supported a pragmatic approach, whereby teaching can continue as widely as possible amid the spread of the Omicron variant provided that the children attending school are without COVID symptoms. Children who are sick should stay home.”
Minister Kersna added that under the current rules, Omicron is seriously disrupting normal school life. “The rapid spread of the variant means that the majority of students qualify as close contacts most of the time, even though the rapid tests being taken by those showing no symptoms are generally coming back negative,” she explained. “For that reason it makes sense to stop requiring students to self-isolate on the basis of rapid tests.”
The minister stressed that in this regard it is especially important that all other measures to stop the spread of the virus are observed in schools, such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, washing and disinfecting hands and airing rooms.
Minister Kersna also explained that the majority of teachers in Estonia are fully vaccinated and that almost 50% of them have received a booster shot. “We have also been working to find and train substitute teachers,” she said. “That gives us the reassurance we need to start easing restrictions in schools in particular ahead of other places.”
Rapid testing will continue in schools twice a week in order to monitor the spread of coronavirus.
The government plans to approve this latest order on Thursday.
