Experts see removal of test requirement as invitation for virus

The ministry has loosened the ropes in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, substantially. Reacting to the decision abolishing the testing requirement of non-vaccinators, experts point out that vaccination rates will fall, deaths will increase.

The ropes are being loosened every day with the decisions taken by the Ministry of Health in the fight against the epidemic. Omicron continues to spread rapidly, while the Ministry’s policy is referred to as “imprudence”. According to the data announced by the Ministry of Health, the number of cases increased from 36 thousand on January 1 to 68 thousand on January 14. Cases that have increased more than 2 times in about 15 days have become a red alert in the country, while the Ministry has found the solution to lift the measures.

A circular was sent to the governorates yesterday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in accordance with the recommendation of the Coronavirus Scientific Council of the Ministry of Health that there is no need to apply a PCR test to people who are unvaccinated or have not completed the vaccination process. Thus, the test requirement applied to non-vaccinated people for travel, activities, workplaces and schools has been lifted.

While cases continue to break records due to the Omicron variant, the Ministry reduced quarantine periods to 7 days last week and then removed the testing requirement. Experts note the rapidly increasing number of cases and the daily death toll of more than 150, stressing that thousands of citizens will die. On the other hand, he says that the Ministry’s new practice will also reduce vaccination rates and increase anti-vaccination.

Former president of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has sad, “The complete abolition of the PCR test requirement imposed on non-vaccinated people was cited by the Minister as a decision taken by the Scientific Council. However, it is out of the question for a board called science to take such a decision. Therefore, it is more government practice than the science board.”