Cyprus Mail 16 October 2020 - by Jonathan Shkurko
The use of mandatory masks in all non-private indoors spaces, a tougher measure issued by the health ministry to tackle the spread of coronavirus and in force from Thursday, has prompted all workplaces around Cyprus to step up their act and ensure that all employees respect the new rule.
However, even though most people recognise that the ongoing pandemic needs to be thoroughly addressed, the new measure regarding masks has raised a few eyebrows.
“Just the thought of having to put the mask on for eight hours a day is off-putting,” said Charalambos, an employee of an insurance firm in Nicosia.
“I get why the government has issued the new measure, but I think that now the penalties for those who are found to be breaking the rules should be stricter.
People found not wearing a mask will be fined €300. The mandatory wearing of masks applies only for those aged 12 and above.
“At the end of the day, it’s their fault if we are now in this situation and forced to wear masks everywhere indoors,” he said.
Other people are also questioning the usefulness of the new measure, claiming it is impossible to check how many times disposable masks have been used by a person or whether the cloth-made ones have been properly washed.
“Using masks improperly is counterproductive and relying on individual awareness is a long shot,” said Eleni, a lawyer in Larnaca who shares her workplace with ten other people.
“I understand that masks should be worn in places where more people gather, like supermarkets and shopping malls, but I believe that making them mandatory in places where fewer people work is a bit too much,” she said.
Others, however, seem to believe that the new measure is even too lenient and that masks should be compulsory everywhere outside their homes.
“I think it’s pointless to wear masks just indoors and not also outdoors,” claimed Irini, a teacher working at a primary school in Nicosia.
“Virologists all over the world have warned us about the risk of transmitting the virus via airborne droplets, so the danger of infecting other people exists even in open spaces.”
Companies around Cyprus have restarted encouraging smart working for their employees. However, the situation at the moment is quite different from the one experienced during the lockdown earlier this year, according to a senior officer at a media and PR company in Nicosia.
“Back in spring no one could go to work, so the situation was the same for everyone,” he said.
“Now there is not a mandatory lockdown, which leaves us with the choice of whether to encourage smart working or not.
“For the moment, all our employees are in the office wearing a mask, but I cannot rule out that in the next few weeks more would want to restart working from home and we will respect their wishes as much as possible.”
As part of the new measure, the health ministry has also banned the use of narghile in bars on Thursday after two cases were detected in a hookah bar in Limassol on Wednesday.
In the meantime, trade union Isotita (Equality) has officially asked the health ministry on Thursday to start providing face masks to public servants free of charge, like the case for private sector workers.
Moreover, should a Covid-19 case be detected at a public office, the union has asked that everyone who might have got in touch with the infected person to be tested and not just with the close contacts.
“We have had this request from many people who belong to vulnerable groups,” the union said in a statement.
“It just so happened that a person who was working with a confirmed coronavirus case in the same public office was not tested because deemed ‘not a close contact.’ Shortly after he tested positive.”
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