Filenews 22 October 2020
A series of new measures has been decided by the Council of Ministers due to the rapid increase in the number of cases of coronavirus observed in recent days in Cyprus. Among other things, it was decided to use a mask in the outdoors by people over 12 years of age on a Cypriot basis. The measures come into force from tomorrow Friday.
In particular, the following measures are being implemented on a global basis:
- Persons may be present at gatherings in homes and public gathering places, with the exception of dining areas, with a maximum of 10 persons per house/group, including minor children
- The maximum number of persons allowed to be served in the dining areas is set at 75 people indoors and 150 people outdoors. In any case, the measure for keeping a distance of 3 m2 for interiors and 2 m2 for outdoor spaces per person, regardless of the square meters of each premises, remains in force. For example, if a dining area has 400 m2 outdoors and based on the measure to maintain a distance of 2 m2 per person, it could serve up to 200 people, the number of customers may not exceed 150. If a premises has 300 m2 indoors and based on the measure to maintain a distance of 3 m2 per person, it could serve up to 100 people, the number of persons may not exceed 75.
- The maximum number of persons per reservation/table/group in dining areas may not exceed 6 persons.
- The church in churches, as well as religious ceremonies, are performed according to the guidelines of the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus.
- Matches may be held in sports facilities, in the context of sports leagues, without the presence of spectators, as long as the relevant protocols are complied with.
- Closed and open cinemas, theatres and theatres with a occupancy of 50% of their capacity are allowed.
- Cocktail party and congratulations on weddings and christenings are forbidden. Only the physical presence at a meal or dinner is allowed, with a maximum attendance of 350 people.
- Beverage and food retailers (ovens, supermarkets, mini-markets, etc.) and pharmacies from the start of their operation until 9 a.m. serve only people over 60 years of age and people with disabilities.
- The use of masks by the general population, aged 12 years and over, becomes mandatory in public outdoor areas.
In addition to the above and due to the deterioration of the epidemiological picture and the increased epidemiological burden in the cities and provinces of Limassol and Paphos, and after taking into account the latest data showing that in Limassol Province the cumulative incidence is 180 people per 100,000, above the limit of 150 people used by ECDC to place an area in the red zone and the cumulative impact in Paphos Province over the last 14 days shows an increasing trend and exceeds 80 people per 100,000, the following measures were decided in addition:
- Restaurants (restaurants, dining areas within hotels and other tourist accommodations, taverns, cafes, pizzerias, pubs, snack bars, bars, cafes, and dining areas within canteens and/or sports groups, cultural groups, clubs, clubs, etc.) are allowed until 10.30 p.m. It is clarified that the above premises may provide home delivery services after 10.30 p.m.
- It is forbidden to move citizens from 11p.m. until 5 a.m. the following day, with the exception of travel for medical reasons (from/to pharmacy, hospital) or for work purposes, by presenting a certificate or proof.
- All afternoon sports and social activities of children under the age of 18 (e.g. football, dancing, swimming, martial arts, theatre, choir, etc.) are suspended.
- The matches of sports leagues of athletes under the age of 18 of the teams, whose headquarters are in the Provinces of Limassol and Paphos, are suspended. For example, if a team based in Limassol or Paphos province competes with a Nicosia District team, the match is postponed until the end of the measures.
The above measures, which will be regulated by decree of the Minister of Health to be issued within the day, will enter into force from tomorrow, 23 October 2020and will last until 9 November 2020 .
Statements by the Minister of Health, Konstantinos Ioannou
Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time and we must act proactively to prevent any eventuality, the Minister of Health, Mr Konstantinos Ioannou, pointed out in a statement today.
At the end of the Cabinet, and announcing the new emergency measures that have been decided and will take effect from tomorrow, the Minister of Health, asked to say why these decisions were taken, explained that there is an upward trend. "We took some measures that were already strict last week. These measures, to see if they have paid off, must take a few days. Unfortunately we do not have time and therefore after the results of the last few days, we are acting proactively and we have taken these measures today to prevent any eventuality."
Asked if there is preparedness on the part of hospitals to deal with crown cases, Mr Ioannou pointed out that the action plan was presented last week by the OKY, "where there is a full capacity to manage confirmed cases from the reference hospital, but also other incidents and incidents requiring intensive care. A letter has also been sent to all private hospitals on how suspicious incidents should be managed. I say this because you saw yesterday the ambulance service announcement was a complaint, because it is called upon to serve people who come to private hospitals, it is a suspicious incident and they have not been treated accordingly. A letter has been sent to private hospitals before and they must act on the basis of algorithms."
Continuing, the Minister appealed to the public for faithful observance of the measures. As he said, "measures existed and exist, but unfortunately we did not comply with them. Warm request to the world to discipline because without discipline we will not have the appropriate results."
Asked about the issue arising with the three nurses at Famagusta General Hospital, whose contract was not renewed, Mr Ioannou explained that after the allocation made, two of the three were not included in the recruitment of the CSO. "My suggestion was, exceptionally, to recognise their offer, to give an exception. But this is a matter exclusive to the CSP, we can only make suggestions,' he clarified.
Asked whether the monitoring of the curfew measure in limassol and Paphos after 11 p.m. would be done by text message with the reintroduction of 8998, the Minister of Health explained that it does not come back into operation in 8998, because there is no real reason for implementation at this time.
Asked about this, Mr Ioannou stressed that our aim should not be to fool the system. Cyprus, he continued, follows the rest of Europe and this is an advantage, because we can exemplify what is happening in the rest of Europe with the cases and hospital admissions, but also the deaths recorded every day.
Asked if the use of masks would also be compulsory in school units by pupils during the break, the Minister expressed confidence that children in schools should also wear masks. "I understand that there will be suffering, we will all suffer but there is no other way or other option," the Health Minister said.
With regard to the degree of preparedness in public hospitals, Mr Ioannou stressed that "the reference hospital is fully staffed and there is support. You realize that no matter what shots we make, there are some limits. These limits can be for human resources or infrastructure. In any case, if there is no other capacity of the reference hospital, I have instructed the Director of Medical Services for private hospitals and of course there are hospitals in the other provinces. Where there's a problem is in the ICU. Respirators exist, but there's a limit to doctors. And all countries have these problems. That's why we're calling on people to be careful. Zero cases are utopia to believe we will have. We want to have a number that is manageable."
Asked if there was any thought of suspending schools, the Health Minister replied in the negative, reiterating that "the important thing is to respect the protocols. There is currently a dispersion in workplaces, children's activities and social gatherings. We are taking steps to address this, there have been suggestions for workplaces. The important thing is not to close spaces, but to implement the measures. I warmly ask people to follow protocols."
Referring to the reproduction index, Mr Ioannou explained that he is over 1.5 and is considered too tall. 'There are more than 25-30 contacts for each case. This makes it difficult to trace, does not respond to optimal time and when there are many contacts then there is contamination. If we don't have 30 and we have 10 contacts, the transmission is reduced. Society must also understand this fact, once again to support the Government's efforts, and I would like to stress that while these measures are for the next fifteen days, we are also working on some horizontal measures, which will be reviewed within the week and we need to understand that we will have measures in the coming months, not for a few weeks. We have no choice," the Minister stressed again.
"When it is above 1 (p.p. the communicability index) means that we expect an increase. It's over 1, so we expect a further increase in cases. It is this risk that we need to understand," he stressed, adding that "in the coming days we expect increased incidents, because these incidents are a result of our behaviour in the past few weeks."
Asked about the surveillance of the measures and whether suggestions were made to intensify them in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Ioannou noted that there is increased surveillance by both the Police, the Department of Labour Inspection and the Health Officers of the Ministry of Health. He also referred to the meeting held on 30 September with the Departments of all ministries under the control of activities in order to increase surveillance. "They just can't be everywhere every day. Surveillance is done and it is not an end in ity to impose punishments. I have asked for Civil Defence to be involved, the Town Halls have been involved, although I have been informed that some municipalities have not responded. Too much effort is being made. I understand that people are tired in the EU too about this and we have these results across Europe," said Mr Ioannou.
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