On September 22, 2020 leader of the “Alliance of Patriots” Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi stated on the “Obiektivi” TV that coronavirus doesn’t exist and the whole world acknowledged this fact. According to him, restrictions put in place to fight the epidemic has already been removed, whereas Europe doesn’t plan on closing down cinemas and restaurants. As Davit Tarkhan Mouravi stated, the fact that patient who died of the virus had congenital heart disease, but coronavirus was indicated as the cause of death, confirms that coronavirus doesn’t exist in Georgia.
Leader of “Alliance of Patriots”, Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi’s statement that the world acknowledged the non-existence of coronavirus and that restrictions were removed in Europe is false. Whereas, claiming coronavirus doesn’t exist in Georgia based on one of the patient’s congenital disease is manipulative. 1. Quarantine restrictions haven’t been completely removed in Europe, moreover, European countries rejected nationwide quarantine and try to manage the virus with other methods. 2. It’s harder to recover from the virus for elders and people with chronic diseases, albeit young and healthy people aren’t safe from it either.
- European countries rejected nationwide quarantine, albeit epidemic restrictions haven’t been completely removed and are still in place in various forms
In most European countries COVID-19 pandemic restrictions haven’t been completely removed. According to BBC, various types of restrictions were introduced in European countries at the end of September, for example, ban on mass gathering and events, the limited number of people gathered, reduced working hours for bars and restaurants, mandatory use of masks, and so on
At the moment there are various restrictions in place in European countries, here are some of them:
France
From September 26, bars and restaurants in 11 cities of France, including Paris, were ordered to close at 22:00. In Marseille, they were shut completely for 15 days. Gatherings are limited to 10 people and face masks are compulsory to wear for anyone aged 11 and over. Face masks are also compulsory in offices and factories where people share a common working space.
Spain
In September, Madrid’s local authorities imposed a lockdown on 37 districts and nearby areas. People can leave mentioned areas only to go to work, school, or for medical care. Gatherings are limited to 6 people, public parks were shut and commercial business needs to be closed by 22:00. These restrictions might be implemented in other parts of the region, where the infection rate is high. From September 28, the implementation of the regulations will be monitored by the representatives of the Armed Forces and the Police. Face masks are mandatory for everybody over the age of 6, including on the school territory.
Germany
In Germany, a ban on large gatherings – such as public festivals, sporting events with spectators, and concerts – has been extended to the end of the year. New Bundesliga football season resumes behind closed doors.
Testing at airports is compulsory for all travelers arriving from high-risk countries and people failing to wear face coverings in shops or on public transport face a fine of 50 Euros. From September 24, masks are compulsory in public stadiums in Munich.
Italy
Due to the increased infection rate, the government has closed all dance venues and nightclubs from August 17. It’s mandatory to wear masks from 8:00 till 06:00 in all public places where social distancing is impossible. Masks are mandatory for everybody over the age of 6, including in schools as well.
Netherlands
In Netherlands social gathering in indoor spaces is limited to 6 people and the distance between them has to be 1.5 meters.
Moreover, in September, new restrictions were introduced in 6 regions and cities of the country including Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Mass gatherings of more than 50 people were banned, a closing hour of bars and restaurants was set, and wearing masks in public places was made mandatory. In addition, local authorities were allowed to implement additional measures if necessary.
Ireland
After the surge in coronavirus cases, indoor restaurant dining was banned in Dublin on 19 September for three weeks and all non-essential travel discouraged.
Indoor social gathering was limited to 6 people, whereas outdoor gathering was limited to 15 people.
Those aged over 70 are again being asked to stay at home, and other citizens are being encouraged to work from home if possible.
Moreover, quarantine restrictions resumed in several locations in September, for example, Kildare where there’s a high infection rate.
Denmark
Wearing masks are mandatory in public transport in Copenhagen and nearby districts. Bars, restaurants, and nightclubs are closed at 22:00, private events and gatherings such as weddings, etc. must end at the same time. Moreover, wearing masks is mandatory in restaurants, bars, and cafes.
It’s noteworthy that despite the spike in infection rate, European countries no longer use aggressive methods to contain the virus. This is driven by the fact that the mentioned countries accumulated experiences and prepared for the second wave of the pandemic. The decision not to impose lockdown is also determined by the fact that hospitals have much more resources to contain the virus, moreover, all infected individuals are no longer treated at the hospital. For example, at the beginning of September, 424 patients were admitted to the intensive therapy unit in France, this number was the highest in April when it reached 7,148.
It’s worth mentioning that European countries are testing the population more intensely. For example, the UK tested 11 000 people a day at the beginning of April, and now approximately 180,000 tests are conducted, which helps the country to manage the virus.
- Since the discovery of the coronavirus, scientists have said that It’s harder to recover from the virus for elders and people with chronic diseases, albeit young and healthy people aren’t safe from it either
Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi’s claim that coronavirus doesn’t exist in Georgia based on the example of one of the patients with congenital heart disease who died of the virus is manipulative. He attempts to reject the existence of the coronavirus by emphasizing the congenital diseases, which is misleading.
Since the discovery of the virus, it was known that it’d be harder to recover from the virus for the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
Moreover, recently scientists have been discussing the fact that any individual with a certain health problem is under severe risk of COVID-19 infection. These diseases are cancer, chronic kidney diseases, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases), organ transplant-related immunodepression (weakened immune system), obesity (body mass index [BMI] 30 or above), severe heart diseases such as heart failure, coronary artery diseases or cardiomyopathy, type 2 diabetes and so on.
Albeit, it’s worth mentioning that youth and people with no chronic diseases are also under the risk of coronavirus infection. The latest studies show that one-third of Americans aged 18-25 had risk-factors that made them vulnerable to COVID-19. These risk factors are smoking, asthma, obesity, and immune system disorders.
Regarding this issue, the World Health Organization stated that even in the case of recovery from coronavirus, patients might experience health problems in long term.
Regional Network of Myth Detector Laboratory
