Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou reconfirmed on Monday that Cyprus is set for 1.2m doses of coronavirus vaccinations when they are available and that each person will have to be vaccinated.
Interviewed on ANT1 on Monday, Ioannou was asked whether the vaccination will be mandatory – to which he replied simply: “yes.”
Asked whether a person will be able to decline the vaccination, he said that it will not be an option to do so.
He did, however, follow up by saying that once 60-70 per cent of the population has been vaccinated, in statistical models, it is seen that the entire population has been vaccinated.
Health ministry sources told the Cyprus Mail that a change in the law may be necessary to enable such provisions. They also noted that Cyprus already records a very high number of voluntary vaccinations. Unlike in other countries, the anti-vaccination movement in Cyprus is very small.
Ioannou emphasised that the timeframe for the vaccine is in no way set in stone. According to the best indicators, the earliest it will be available is towards the end of 2020 or early 2021.
Cyprus is earmarked to receive 1.2 million doses of any potential vaccine which is procured by the European Union.
If the situation were to arise where the initial amounts are lower than the 1.2 million, he said some groups would be prioritised – the vulnerable, according to age and so on.
A key point of contention for the health minister on Monday was the public letting its guard down, witnessed most notably in the recent spike in cases in Limassol.
He stressed the point that the public must observe the health guidelines. The protocols and measures currently in place will be around until the vaccine is available, he said.
Ioannou also commented that Cyprus is not a police state and as such the authorities are not able to be everywhere at once, which raises the important role of the public.
Asked whether a decree may be issued which would make mask use compulsory, he said that it is a possibility but further meetings with specialists will be taken into account.
He reiterated that there should be no need for new measures – as the ones currently in place are appropriate – but it requires people to abide and follow the current measures so as to avoid any stricter measures in the future.
“Why should there be additional measures? Abide by the current ones and there is nothing to worry about,” he said.
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