Sibel Siber blames rise in Covid cases on ‘complacency’

THE reopening of wedding venues, bars and clubs has contributed to a fresh rise in coronavirus cases in North Cyprus, along with “complacency”, a former prime minister has said.

Sibel Siber, a doctor who also served as the speaker of Parliament, warned that the presence of the more transmissible Delta variant of the virus had raised concerns in the TRNC.

While she said there is “no need to panic”, measures and precautions “should not be neglected”.

“We have seen that we have become more complacent as a country in recent days,” she said. “The reason for this is perceptions such as ‘I’m vaccinated anyway’ and ‘the cases have decreased anyhow’.

Dr Siber said that a large percentage of the population in the TRNC have been administered with the CoronaVac vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac.

“Scientists in Turkey announced that Sinovac is not very effective against the Delta variant and said that those who have had the Sinovac vaccine should definitely have a third dose, of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine,” she said.

“We have all been affected psychologically by this situation but we should continue with vaccinations and protective measures.”

Along with complacence, Dr Siber said that the resumption of weddings and “people dancing together on the dance floor, kissing the bride and groom” and crowded groups “passing time indoors” will increase the contagion.

Dr Siber said that all non-essential venues should remain closed, adding that another lockdown would “devastate” the country’s economy.

“Maybe the owners of wedding venues, bars and clubs will reproach me but these openings have negatively affected the spread of infection,” she stated.

Dr Siber pointed out that infections have also increased because “many young people gather in places such as bars and clubs without following the distancing rule” and emphasised that the majority of patients who she sends for a PCR test are young.

Referring to the Health Ministry’s decision to scrap the appointment system for Covid-19 jabs, Dr Siber said that “we will see over time whether this new step will increase the number of daily vaccinations” and that members of the public should “not avoid getting vaccinated”.

She urged people to continue taking individual precautions, such as wearing a mask, social distancing and hygiene measures.