Cyprus on Wednesday announced local quarantine in two Mediterranean coastal cities and other measures to curb the rise in new coronavirus cases.
The resort towns of Limassol and Paphos in the south of the country will be subject to local quarantine from Thursday to the end of November.
The Minister of Health Konstantin Joannu said that entering and leaving these cities will be prohibited, and there will also be a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am.
In Cyprus, the number of new infections during the summer was low, but has now risen to record three-digit numbers per day. This increase has begun to strain the health care system.
By the end of June, a total of around 1,000 cases of Covid-19 had been registered in Cyprus, but the number has risen to almost 6,500 in the second wave of pandemics now taking over Europe.
Of the 68 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, 49 are from Limassol and Paphos. Of the latest eight Covid-19-related deaths, seven were reported in these cities.
In Limassol and Paphos, catering establishments will be closed and gatherings in public places, including parks, will be prohibited. Primary schools will continue to operate, but secondary and higher education institutions will operate remotely.
Museums, cinemas and theaters in both cities will be closed and churches will be closed. Supermarkets, hairdressers, beauty salons and gyms will also be closed.
The rest of Cyprus will have a curfew from 11 pm to 5 am until the end of November, while bars, cafés and restaurants will be open until 10.30 pm. Face masks must be worn both indoors and outdoors, except at home.
There are 6461 officially registered infections in the Republic of Cyprus, including 165 on Wednesday, and 33 deaths.
There are 986 cases of infection and five deaths in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
–
