NEW SUPPORT PLANS FOR AFFECTED BUSINESSES AND WORKERS

 Filenews 12 November 2020

New support plans and extension of existing ones announced by the Ministers of Labour and Finance for businesses and workers who will be affected by the new strict measures to tackle the pandemic, during a press conference.

The measures include a worker subsidy plan, a business subsidy plan, which is subject to compulsory full suspension, and a six-month extension of the interest rate subsidy plan for new business and home loans until 30 June 2021.

Five projects by SUPPORT

"The manipulations had to be such that they would not exhaust the resources. The comprehensive support programme we have implemented today has given practical support to workers. Today, given the new restrictive measures and fully aware of the concerns, new support measures have been decided," said Finance Minister Konstantinos Petridis.

The Minister of Finance announced at his placement five projects to support businesses and workers:

1. Employee subsidy scheme
2. Subsidy Scheme for Enterprises that are under compulsory complete suspension, in accordance with the Decrees of the Ministry of Health and the relevant Decisions of the Council of Ministers and participated in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour Welfare and Social Insurance from 16/03/2020 – 31/10/2020

Beneficiaries:

Enterprises including employers who are subject to compulsory full suspension, in accordance with the Decrees of the Minister of Health and the relevant Decisions of the Council of Ministers from 16/03/2020. The payment of the one-off grant will not require the submission of an application by the beneficiaries. Necessary condition that they were integrated and approved in the Special Plan for the Complete Suspension of Business Operations, of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance implemented under the emergency measures to deal with the COVID19 pandemic.

Objective: Grant rent and other operating expenses.

Grant amount/one-off grant:

Companies including employers who were completely suspended from 16/03/2020 and employ up to 9 persons €10,000

Companies including employers who were completely suspended from 16/03/2020 and employed by 10 or more staff. €15,000

3. Subsidy Scheme for Enterprises and Self-Employees who are subject to compulsory full suspension, in accordance with the Decrees of the Ministry of Health and the relevant Decisions of the Council of Ministers or have a reduction in turnover of more than 80% and will participate in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance

Beneficiaries:

Enterprises and self-employed workers who are subject to compulsory complete suspension or have a reduction in turnover of more than 80%. The payment of the one-off grant will not require the submission of an application by the beneficiaries. Beneficiaries must be included and approved in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance implemented under the emergency measures to tackle the COVID19 pandemic and will be announced by the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance

Objective: Grant rent and other operating expenses

Grant amount/one-off grant:

Self-employed and micro-enterprises that were or will be completely suspended or have a turnover reduction of more than 80% and will be included in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and employ up to 1 personnel. €500

Self-employed and micro-enterprises that were or will be completely suspended or have a reduction in turnover of more than 80% and will be included in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and employ up to 2 - 5 staff. €1250

Self-employed and micro-enterprises that were or will be completely suspended or have a reduction in turnover of more than 80% and will be included in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and employ up to 6 - 9 staff. €1750

Self-employed workers and small businesses that have been or will be completely suspended or have a reduction in turnover of more than 80% and will be included in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and employ up to 10 - 50 staff. €2500

Self-employed workers and enterprises that have been or will be completely suspended or have a reduction in turnover of more than 80% and will be included in the Special Plans of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and employ more than 51 staff. €3000

Notes:

1. The granting authority of the two Projects will be the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance.
2. It is noted that the measures referred to will be notified to the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission for final approval as compatible with the State aid scheme and its activation will take place after the relevant authorisation has been obtained.
3. It is understood that a company can only benefit from one of the above two Projects.
4. It is understood that the 3rd Plan does not include companies that participated in the Winter Suspension Plan of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance.

1. Six-month extension of the Interest Rate Subsidy Plan for new business loans until 30/06/2021

In addition to the extension, improvements have been made to the Plan, namely the obligation to submit a responsible declaration by an approved accountant of the applicant for micro, small enterprises and self-employed workers.

2.Six-month extension of the Interest Rate Subsidy Plan for new home loans until 30/06/2021

With regard to the Interest Rate Subsidy Plan for new home loans, it has been decided that new home loans which at the time of issue have been consolidated with existing serviced home loans may be included, subject to the following conditions:

(a) The consolidated loan does not exceed €300,000.

(b) The agreement on the new home loan was signed after 1 March 2020.

(c) Loans of the same purpose have been identified in the new loan other than the new home loan and have not been delayed beyond 90 days.

(d) The interest rate on the loan relating only to the new home loan will be subsidised.

(e) The loan and borrowers will meet all other provisions of the Plan.

It is recalled that the above two Projects entered into force in July 2020 and expired on 31/12/2020. Given the interest that has been expressed so far and with the ultimate aim of giving more time for businesses and citizens to join the Projects, an extension is given to cover business and home loans concluded or to be concluded from 1/03/2020 until 30/06/2021.

In response to a question about possible cuts to the payroll of civil servants, Mr Petridis said that our policy at the moment is that of supporting private consumption, noting that "we have not reached the point of cuts" and that this would have a chain effect on domestic consumption.

Mr Petridis assured that "the resilience of the Cypriot economy, the continuation of a flexible, targeted, prudent pandemic management policy within our capabilities, the full exploitation of European tools, but also the pandemic-adapted 2021 budget, are our weapons for dealing with this unprecedented economic crisis".

In conclusion he stressed "I am sure that we will overcome the second wave of the pandemic and lead to a strong recovery"

Extension

The Minister of Labour in her own position noted that "On the basis of the plans announced last week I want to assure that with the new health measures support will continue and precisely the plans announced were made in such a way as to cover workers and businesses in difficulty".

As he said the plans announced last week are expanding.

Also two new plans announced by the Minister of Labour: Special allowance equal to 60% of the proportion of earnings of the days for which they will not be able to work or go to work, will be entitled to those workers due to restrictions in Limassol and Paphos.

The second concerns vulnerable people whose relatives are not in the provinces of Limassol and Paphos, they will become special workshops to serve these people.

As Mrs Amlianidou said, the plans announced today are estimated to cost the state an additional €30m. per month.

Which employees will be able to move to and from Limassol and Paphos

Products and raw materials will be allowed to be transported to undertakings that remain active. The movement of workers necessary with the exception of retail undertakings or serving the public will also be permitted. In addition, workers in essential services as well as farmers and livestock farmers will be entitled to move.

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BUFFER FRINGE FESTIVAL 2020 CHALLENGES PHYSICAL AND ARTISTIC BARRIERS

 Cyprus Mail 12 November 2020 - by Eleni Philippou

“As an arts community, we cannot just shut down and wait, we must continue,” said artistic director of the Buffer Fringe Festival, Ellada Eva just days before the festival kicks off. Organised to adapt to the current situation, the festival is taking place physically but also online for the first time, safely connecting artists and audiences from around the world.

“There is so much that is not under our control right now, but some things are,” added Ellada. “Keeping the festival going, engaging artists and thinking outside the box is. So we decided to go ahead with the festival and draw on that human quality of adaptability to take care of the rest. We took advantage of digital tools and paired it with the creativity that is already abundant within the arts community, to think of a new festival structure, that is versatile, that responds to uncertainty, but maintains integrity.”

Artists from Australia, Greece, Great Britain, India, Norway, Scotland, the USA and Cyprus will participate in this year’s Buffer Fringe Festival, with theatre, dance, installation art, mixed media and graphic arts, and site-specific work. Some projects are collaborations between Cypriot and international artists, Greek and Turkish-Cypriot, quarantined and local artists. “Two interesting examples,” said Ellada, “is Indian choreographer Vikram Iyengar, whose piece A multitude of Drops is performed by a group of Cypriot artists, with who he is rehearsing online.”

Displacement is this year’s theme with the performances exploring why this human activity is contested, the relationship between migration, mobility, displacement and how different people experience the displacement of themselves, their ideas and their practices.

Beginning on Saturday with live performances, virtual discussions and online lectures, the 2020 edition of the festival is rather different than what audiences are used to.

One of these new ways is a blog (bufferfringe.org) where artists post their works in progress for audiences to get to know them and their work without necessarily relying on the physical presence. The Buffer Fringe Live page on the blog has also been created from where worldwide audiences can catch the virtual performances of the festival live and to allow productions from outside Cyprus that may not be able to travel, to be a part.

Using a virtual space to present events is a first for the Buffer Fringe yet a necessary step to keep the show on the road. “It has been an adventure,” commented Ellada, “trying to conceptualise the true utility of the tool, to see how hosting things online would serve the artists, the audiences, and the festival itself. We all need to grow and benefit through the process, having in mind the global nature of the internet, and the vast possibilities it allows for showcasing art.”

Should everything go according to plan – meaning if the measures allow – performances will happen in Nicosia and Limassol as well as be live-streamed on Buffer Fringe Live and the Buffer Fringe Facebook page. The only performances that take place solely online are of two Buffer Fringe artists who are based in the US, and a dance group based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The festival will open this Saturday with these two US-based artists with two performances live-streamed from New York and a Virtual Discussion.

A history lesson with Argyro Nicolaou will begin first at 7pm drawing from artistic sources that are rarely looked at and studied (such as films shot on Cyprus before 1974 among them Exodus, Sin and Ghost in the Noonday Sun) to teach the island’s history. History Lesson reflects a desire to return to a vision of Cyprus as a whole; before the island was displaced from itself – connecting back to this year’s theme of Displacement.

At 8pm a virtual discussion titled The New Faces of Displacement – artistic praxis and a contested festival in the middle of a pandemic will take place with artists, scholars and researchers. Held via Zoom, the discussions can be followed via the festival’s livestream or at the Home for Cooperation for those in Nicosia.

Then at 10pm, researcher and artist Monica Anna Day will explore how bodies experience ‘place’ or ‘displacement’ by using the language of art in her performance titled Placeholder. “When body wisdom is missing, so are the desperately needed solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. Like displacement,” the American artist said.

Besides Saturday’s events, more performances will follow on November 29 in Limassol and on December 4, 5 and 6 in Nicosia, which will also be streamed online. Limassol’s event is a partnership with Mitos Performing Arts Centre and Mağusa Kale Pasajı in Famagusta. Nicosia’s events will take place at different locations each day. December 4’s performances will be at the European Mediterranean Art Association, December 5’s at Theatro Polis in partnership with NiMAC – Pop Up Festival and December 6’s at Goethe Institute.

Showcasing new and experimental work by local and international artists, Buffer Fringe challenges physical and artistic barriers, having established itself as a platform of innovative artistic expression. “We are on the quest to support the production of new narratives,” said Ellada, “of new ways of seeing the world and the human experience, and that is work which is by nature nonconformist. I would say that definitely differentiates us from most festivals.”

 

Buffer Fringe Festival 2020

Live performances and virtual events. November 14, 29 and December 4-5. Various locations in Nicosia and Limassol and online at www.bufferfringe.org and https://www.facebook.com/BufferFringe

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DEAL MEANS ZIVANIA AND OTHER PRODUCTS PROTECTED FROM COUNTERFEITS IN CHINA

 Cyprus Mail 12 November 2020 - by George Psyllides

The EU Parliament has ratified an agreement with China to protect the names of 200 European and Chinese food specialties, including zivania, from counterfeiting with the deal likely coming into force early next year.

The agreement, signed in September, was approved by the EU parliament on Wednesday.

With parliament’s consent, the Council must now adopt the agreement so that it can enter into force at the beginning of 2021.

The deal will ensure that 100 European products bearing geographical indications (GIs) – including Zivania, Feta, Münchener Bier, Polska Wódka, or Queso Manchego – will be legally protected in China against imitations and the misuse of a product’s name.

In exchange, 100 Chinese products will benefit from the same form of protection in the EU.

MEPs agreed to extend the agreement to a further 175 European and Chinese products within four years.

“This is the first economic and commercial agreement ever signed with China, and it has symbolic and confidence-building value. It promises to boost European agri-food exports to China, already worth €14.5 billion in 2019. It is also a good measure of China’s ambition to protect intellectual property rights more robustly,” Rapporteur Iuliu Winkler said.

At the same time, parliament expressed its concern about the market-distorting practices used by Chinese state-owned enterprises, forced technology transfers, and other unfair trading practices.

In 2019, China was the third largest destination for EU exports of GI products, including wines, spirit drinks, and agri-food products.

In 2018 and 2019 however, 80 per cent of European seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods originated in China, causing losses of €60bn to EU suppliers.

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TRUMP FILES NEW ELECTION CHALLENGE, GEORGIA ANNOUNCES RECOUNT

 Cyprus Mail 11 November 2020 - by Reuters News Service

President Donald Trump’s campaign on Wednesday took another step in its legal strategy to upend his U.S. election loss by filing a lawsuit in Michigan while Georgia announced a recount and President-elect Joe Biden focused on laying the foundation of his incoming administration.

The Republican president’s team went to federal court to try to block Michigan, a Midwestern battleground state that he won in 2016, from certifying the Nov. 3 election results. Trump trailed by roughly 148,000 votes, or 2.6 percentage points, in unofficial Michigan vote totals.

Biden has a slimmer lead of just over 14,000 votes, or 0.3 points, in Georgia, a southern state that has not been carried by Democrats since 1992.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced a hand recount of all ballots cast there, which he said was expected to begin this week and would be completed in time to certify the results by a Nov. 20 deadline.

“It’ll take every bit of the time that we have left, for sure. It’s a big lift,” Raffensperger told a news conference.

Trump has declined to concede the election to Biden, instead lodging a flurry of lawsuits in pivotal states to try to back up his unsupported claims of widespread voting fraud. The Michigan lawsuit also made allegations of misconduct in the voting, with the focus on the Democratic stronghold of Wayne County, which includes Detroit.

Jake Rollow, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of State, said the Trump campaign was promoting false claims to erode public confidence in Michigan’s elections.

“It does not change the truth: Michigan’s elections were conducted fairly, securely, transparently, and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people,” Rollow said in a statement.

Prominent Republican lawmakers and other Trump allies have backed the president’s strategy, saying he has the right to contest the election results. The suit was filed one day after Biden called Trump’s failure to concede an “embarrassment.”

Judges have tossed out several of the Trump lawsuits, and legal experts say the litigation has scant chance of changing the election outcome.

While acknowledging there was “no silver bullet” that would overturn the election, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Wednesday’s developments were part of a process that could pave the way for a second Trump four-year term.

Earlier, the Trump campaign said it had evidence that a handful of dead people in Georgia had voted in last week’s election.

VETERANS DAY

Biden last Saturday clinched victory in the election as he won a series of battleground states to exceed the 270 electoral votes needed in the state-by-state Electoral College. Biden was winning the national popular vote by more than 5 million votes, with some states still counting ballots.

Biden planned to meet with advisers on Wednesday who are helping him prepare to take office on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

Trump placed a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, his first public appearance other than two golf outings since Biden was projected the winner on Saturday.

While Trump made no remarks at the cemetery, in Twitter posts on Wednesday he kept up his narrative of voter fraud, referring to “a mountain of corruption & dishonesty” while assailing pollsters.

Nearly 80% of Americans, including half of Republicans, say Biden won the election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Trump’s refusal to accept defeat, even as world leaders congratulate Biden and look to their future relations with the United States, caps a volatile nearly four years in office with the country deeply polarized and facing a sharp resurgence in coronavirus cases. During the campaign, Trump had refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.

The Trump administration is not cooperating with Biden’s transition team, which has been unable to move into federal government office space or tap funds to hire staff.

The election outcome in a small number of states remained undecided with Trump holding a lead in North Carolina and Biden ahead in Arizona in addition to Georgia. Recounts are unlikely to change the outcomes.

To remain in office, Trump would need to win all three undecided states plus overturn the results in one or more states in Biden’s column.

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SUSPICIOUS LIQUID PUMPED FROM PAPHOS HOTEL

 Cyprus Mail 12 November 2020 - by Bejay Browne

The Paphos Greens are calling on the authorities to investigate a pipe which appears to run from a Paphos hotel to a pathway that leads to the sea and is pumping out a ‘questionable’ liquid after nightfall.

Representatives of the Green party attended the site on Wednesday morning, following captured night time videos and photographs sent to them by concerned members of the public that show a liquid being pumped out of a pipe which appears to originate from inside the hotel.

“The pipe can clearly be seen running into the Olympic Lagoon hotel. It’s stupid to do something illegal like this in the first instance and then to leave it there is beyond belief,” a spokesman for the Paphos Greens told the Cyprus Mail on Wednesday.

“The liquid is not just water as it has a strong odour and we identified the smell as oil or petrol,” he said.

The hotel appears to be closed, with the listed number unavailable, and according to the Paphos Greens, the facility closed four days ago.

The party has informed the Environmental Service as well as the Paphos District Office.

“We understand that our tourism has been hit financially, but in no case does this situation justify such behaviour.”

The Greens are calling on the competent services to investigate the case immediately so as not to repeat such an incident, he noted.

“What worries us most is the fact that this illegal activity took place late at night.”

 

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IRISH PM SAYS ON BREXIT - BIDEN WANTS A DEAL SO JOHNSON SHOULD KNUCKLE DOWN

 Cyprus Mail 12 November 2020 - by Reuters News Service

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin said on Thursday that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden wanted Britain to reach a Brexit trade deal with the European Union, so Prime Minister Boris Johnson should knuckle down.

Biden’s win in the U.S. presidential election has changed the international context of Brexit: U.S. President Donald Trump backed Britain’s decision to leave the EU, while Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama, who advised against it.

Biden, who is proud of his Irish heritage, has repeatedly said the U.S.-brokered 1998 “Good Friday” peace deal for Northern Ireland must not be undermined. That has been seen as a warning against a bill proposed by Johnson that would negate parts of Britain’s EU divorce agreement governing the UK-Ireland border.

Biden repeated his support for the Good Friday agreement in a phone call with Johnson on Tuesday. The president-elect has said that if Britain undermines it, London will not be able to obtain a trade deal with the United States.

“He is very committed to the Good Friday Agreement,” Martin said of Biden. “Particularly in relation to Brexit, he would favour obviously a deal between the European Union and Britain.”

“And I think that’s where, if I could respectfully say it, that’s where the British government should head, in that direction, in my view. It should knuckle down and… get a deal with the European Union,” Martin told BBC radio.

The United Kingdom left the EU in January. The two sides are trying to clinch a deal that would govern trade once a status quo transition period ends on Dec. 31. Many businesses say an exit without a deal would cause chaos.

BIDEN AND BREXIT

But the clock is ticking: the talks are now likely to go beyond yet another Brexit deadline – this time Nov. 15 – though negotiators are racing to clinch a deal with enough to ratify it before the end of the year.

Martin said Johnson’s Internal Market Bill, which London has acknowledged could violate international law by overturning parts of the Brexit divorce agreement on Northern Ireland, had raised concerns about how far the EU could trust him.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said Britain would not compromise on its sovereignty but that the government hoped for a deal in the days ahead.

“We hope that in the days ahead, admittedly, time is short, but in the days ahead, both sides will be able to reach agreement and the EU will show some further flexibility in those respects,” he told the BBC.

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THURSDAY NOVEMBER 12 - CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE

 in-cyprus 12 November 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Russia has said its Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19, while Japan’s Fujitsu, Mizuho and PeptiDream said they are forming a joint venture to develop treatments for the respiratory disease.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

EUROPE

* France reported 35,879 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the total to 1.86 million, overtaking Russia and making it the worst affected country in the European region.

* Spain will from Nov. 23 demand a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours for air travellers arriving from countries with a high risk of contracting COVID-19, the health ministry said.

* Italy surpassed the one-million infections mark on Wednesday, leap-frogging Mexico to become one of the top 10 worst-affected countries globally, meanwhile the United Kingdom passed 50,000 deaths linked to COVID-19.

AMERICAS

* Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it would be challenging to distribute vaccines that use messenger RNA based technology in developing countries because of their cold storage requirements.

* The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, and several of his ministers began preventative isolation after coming in close contact with an official infected with coronavirus.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* The West Indies cricket team have been cleared to leave their biosecure facility in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday after their third round of COVID-19 tests were negative.

* Athletes who arrive in Japan to participate in the Tokyo Olympics will not have to isolate for the required 14 days after arrival, Olympic organisers said.

* The opening of Asia’s first “travel bubble” allowing tourism without quarantines since the pandemic hit has sparked a surge in searches and bookings for travel between Singapore and Hong Kong.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* South Africa will open up travel to all countries in an effort to boost the tourism and hospitality sectors, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, despite having the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the continent.

* Turkey banned smoking in crowded public places to slow a recent surge in symptomatic coronavirus patients, the Interior Minister said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* China’s Tibet Rhodiola Pharmaceutical Holding announced a deal on Wednesday to manufacture, sell and test Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine in China.

* Moderna Inc said it has enough data to begin its first planned interim analysis from the late-stage trial of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

* Brazil health regulator Anvisa allowed resumption of late-stage clinical trials for China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian shares rose toward a more than two-year peak on Thursday, buoyed by sustained global stimulus efforts and hopes of a coronavirus vaccine, but some analysts warned of the risk of a correction lower.

* Japan’s core machinery orders fell for the first time in three months in September and at a faster-than-expected pace.

* Germany’s economic advisers expect Europe’s largest economy to shrink less than initially feared this year thanks to a strong summer, but a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is clouding the growth outlook for next year.

(Reuters)

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INFECTION CONTROL SPECIALIST SAYS INCREASED NUMBER OF ICU PATIENTS TO CONTINUE

 in-cyprus 12 November 2020 - by gavriella

In the coming days-weeks the increased numbers of patients being treated in ICUs will continue, since a big load of “active” cases has been accumulated, Dr. Constantinos Tsioutis, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Infection Prevention and Control at the European University and specialist with training in infection control, said in his personal account on Twitter.

He added that there will be stabilization and gradual reduction of everyday confirmed cases and gradual improvement of epidemiological indicators.

He stressed that a nationwide lockdown is the last measure, which is binding and of unknown duration.

He noted that the experience of recent months is helping us plan measures according to local observations thus hurting economy as little as possible.

(philenews/CNA)

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ANOTHER 18 ILLEGAL MIGRANTS CROSS OVER TO FREE AREA OF CYPRUS

 in-cyprus 12 November 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Another 18 illegal migrants – all men aged 18 to 30 – on Thursday morning crossed over to the Republic’s free area through Kato Pyrgos, situated next to Turkish-held Limnitis where they had landed.

Police said the 18 men – of Syrian origin – had arrived there on a speed boat from a Turkish port.

Upon arrival in Limnitis, Turks carrying out human trafficking walked them through the buffer zone until they reached “Steratzia” area in Kato Pyrgos.

That’s where members of the police and soldiers serving in the area found the men and handed them over to local authorities.

They were first offered humanitarian assistance and then taken to the temporary refugee camp in Kofinou but not before coronavirus tests were carried out to ensure that the pandemic is not spread.

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LABOUR MINISTRY GIVES ULTIMATUM TO CYPRA SLAUGHTERHOUSE

 in-cyprus 12 November 2020 - by gavriella

The Labour Ministry gave an ultimatum to CYPRA slaughterhouse until Monday to give convincing answers for the fact that 79 undeclared individuals were found on its premises. In case this is not done, fine amounting to 276,500 euros will be imposed on the company.

Speaking to Phileleftheros, Andis Apostolou, head of the Inspection Service for undeclared work, said that a list of 107 persons was given to the Health Ministry as the persons who were employed at the premises and which had undergone COVID-19 tests. As Apostolou said, 79 of these persons were not declared and according to law, there is a fine of €3,500 for each undeclared person.

According to the Law on Social Security, the employer has five days in order to bring all evidence regarding these persons.

Moreover, spokesman of the Police Christos Andreou said, the Interior Ministry conveyed a list of 58 persons, including four who are illegally in Cyprus. The Police is now waiting for the report of the Labour Ministry regarding the living conditions of the persons and to ascertain whether there are issues of human trafficking.

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POLICE FINE 37 CITIZENS, ONE ESTABLISHMENT FOR COVID MEASURES BREACH

 in-cyprus 12 November 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Police booked 37 citizens and one establishment all across Cyprus over the past 24 hours for violation of coronavirus preventive measures, according to CNA.

They had carried out a total of 2,010 inspections, 135 of which in the capital of Nicosia where two citizens got fines.

In Limassol, out of 593 inspections 13 citizens were booked, and five citizens got fines out of 327 inspections in Larnaca.

In Paphos, 416 inspections were carried out, and nine citizens and one establishment got fined.

Out of 391 checks in Famagusta six citizens got fines while in Morphou 61 inspections led to two citizens receiving fines.

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POLICE DRAFT ACTION PLAN TO ENSURE STRINGENT COVID-19 MEASURES ARE DULY ENFORCED

 in-cyprus 12 November 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Police are ready to carry out an unprecedented plan of action to ensure that new stricter measures to prevent the coronavirus spread in Cyprus are duly enforced, according to Philenews.

The new measures, including almost a complete lockdown for Limassol and Paphos districts, were announced late on Wednesday and come in effect on Thursday evening.

Prior to the announcement of the measures, the Chief of Police asked the Limassol and Paphos departments to prepare a specific implementation plan for the two lockdowns – something that never took place before.

The two departments have prepared their own plan of action which covers all entries and exits of the two coastal cities as well as highways – old and new.

Blocks will be set up in various spots in order to limit any unnecessary movement to and from Limassol and Paphos.

At the same time, dozens of police officers are recruited not only from the two districts but also from elsewhere to man these blocks.

Over 200 police officers will be on duty in these two cities, while dozens more area tasked to ensure the new measures all across Cyprus are enforced.

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GESY - CHANGES UNDERWAY TO IDENTIFY DISTORTIONS IN THE SYSTEM

 Filenews 12 November 2020 - by Marilena Panagi

Changes in the way the institution of the personal doctor in the General Health System works are being made by the Health Insurance Agency in order to correct identified distortions and to stem worrying phenomena such as, for example, the huge number of refer-to-specialist doctors issued mainly by personal doctors for adults.

At the same time, the THY also proceeds to arrangements that will link, to some extent, the productivity of the doctor, the evaluation of his work and generally his behaviour within the System, with the amount of their earnings. A proposal to that agreement, it is recalled, was submitted to the OSU and the Minister of Health several months ago.

"The functioning of the institution of the personal doctor, although it has greatly helped the GHS and the majority of our doctors, not all of them, have put enormous effort on our side. However, we have identified some weaknesses and for this reason, we will try to strengthen this institution for the benefit of both the System and the doctors who work properly but especially our beneficiaries," OA director Andreas Papakonstantinou said in a statement.

A big problem, Said Mr Papakonstantinou, "exists for example in the number of refer-ins issued by personal doctors, to specialist doctors". When international data "show us that the personal physician issues on average 20% - 25% of his patients referable for a specialist doctor and the other cases are managed at primary level and we see doctors issuing refer-ins to 70% of their patients, then surely we have to intervene".

This, he explained, "will be done with some regulations that are being promoted and certainly have to do with the way the beneficiaries themselves behave. For example, now, a refer for a specialist doctor, entitles the patient to three visits to a specialist doctor and we have seen several cases of beneficiaries who visit three different doctors of the same specialty for the same problem. Therefore, what we will do is to change the number of visits, to reduce them from 3 to 2, with the right of course to the doctor, if necessary for his patient to issue a new reference".

In addition to these, "we will now move on to another level of regulations that will gradually begin to affect the doctor's pay, in relation to how it works within the System". But this issue, Mr Papakonstantinou stressed, "we will see it in cooperation with our doctors, because it also has a legal aspect, we will agree and with them we will take some measures".

 

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NEW MEASURES IN FORCE ON A CYPRUS BASIS to 30 November [see separate item on Paphos & Limassol restrictions]

 Filenews 11 November 2020

New packages of measures announced by the Minister of Health Konstantinos Ioannou, to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic, due to the increased incidents that have been present in our country lately.

Among other things, the Minister of Health noted that the following measures announced on 4 November 2020 remain in force until 30 November 2020:

1. 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 minors.
2. Dining areas are allowed to operate until 10:30 p.m. Restaurants, dining areas within hotels and other tourist accommodations, dining areas within shopping centres, department stores and malls, taverns, cafes, pizzerias, pubs, snack bars, bars, cafes, and dining areas within canteens and/or sports groups, cultural groups, clubs, clubs, etc. It is clarified that the above areas may provide home delivery services after 10:30 p.m. The ban excludes dining areas at Larnaca and Paphos Airports.
3. The maximum number of persons allowed to be served in the dining areas is set at 75 people indoors and 150 people outdoors.
4. The maximum number of persons per reservation/table/group in dining areas may not exceed 6 persons.
5. It is prohibited to move persons from 11p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, with the exception of travel for medical reasons (from/to pharmacy, hospital) or for work purposes, by presenting a certificate or evidence.
6. The church and other forms of religious worship in churches, churches and other religious sites, as well as religious ceremonies, are performed with a maximum number of persons 75 persons, respecting the protocols applicable to places of religious worship.
7. 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.
8. The use of locker rooms in gyms is prohibited.

In addition to the above, they are implemented on a global basis for the period from 12 November to 30 November 2020:

1. The operation of children's playgrounds, theme parks and luna park is suspended.
2. Conferences, trade and art exhibitions, assemblies and events are prohibited.
3. Visits to nursing homes, care homes for the elderly, centres for chronically ill people, shelters and hostels for vulnerable groups, hostels for the transitional accommodation of homeless people, day care centres, child protection structures are prohibited, with the exception of visits to people with disabilities, where each tenant can receive two visits a week and in extremely necessary cases will be considered for more visits.
4. The operation of the campgrounds is suspended.
5. The entry and/or exit from the reception, accommodation and detention centres of asylum seekers of any person other than the entry of new asylum seekers shall be prohibited. It is understood that entry and/or exit from these centres is permitted for workers and exceptional entry and/or exit for humanitarian and/or medical reasons with the permission of the Minister of the Interior.
6. Beverage and food retailers (supermarkets, mini-markets, butchers, etc.) and pharmacies from the beginning of their operation until 10 a.m. serve only people over 65 years of age and people with disabilities.

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RESTRICTIVE MEASURES FOR PAPHOS AND LIMASSOL

 Filenews 11 November 2020

Extraordinary measures with effect in the Provinces of Limassol and Paphos, for the period from 12 November to 30 November 2020,due to the increased epidemiological burden in the two provinces received by the Council of Ministers.

Specific:

1. It is forbidden to move persons from 8 p.m. to 5a.m. the next day, with the exception of travel for medical reasons (from/to pharmacy, hospital) or for work purposes, by presenting a certificate or proof.
2. It is forbidden to move persons to and from the Provinces of Limassol and Paphos, as well as between the two Provinces, with the exception of movements of workers in essential services, movements for medical incident (with the presentation of a medical certificate), movements for the transport of persons to and from Larnaca and Paphos Airports and Limassol Port.
3. Gatherings in public places (parks, squares, dams, excursion areas, beaches, pedestrian streets and marinas, etc.) are prohibited, except for sports purposes, provided that they do not exceed two persons, with the exception of the minor children of the parents who play sports.
4. Persons may be present at meetings in their homes, with a maximum of 10 people assembled per house, including minors.
5. The church and other forms of religious worship in religious places are performed without the presence of believers.
6. Religious ceremonies (weddings, baptisms, funerals) with a maximum number of 10 persons are allowed.
7. It is forbidden to hold meals/dinners and any other events for weddings and christenings, in addition to an event in a house with a maximum number of 10 persons including minors.
8. The operation of public and private Lyceums and Higher and Higher Education Institutions from 16 November 2020 will be carried out by distance learning. Kindergartens, Primary Schools and Gymnasiums continue to operate normally.
9. Public services (public, wider public sector and local authorities) will work with security personnel for urgent matters and serve citizens for emergencies. It is understood that the regulation excludes workers in essential services who continue to operate seamlessly in compliance with the relevant protocols. Workers who are not employed in essential services will work remotely, on a rotating course.
10. Visits to public and private hospitals, clinics, medical and diagnostic centres are prohibited.
11. Restaurants (restaurants, taverns, cafes, pizzerias, pubs, snack bars, bars, cafes, and dining areas within canteens and/or sports groups, cultural groups, clubs, clubs, etc.) are suspended, with the exception of services related to home distribution and take-away. It is understood that only the home distribution service is allowed after the travel ban time. Restaurants within hotels and tourist accommodations can only be open until 10:30 p.m. to serve people who stay overnight on their premises. Dining areas within Paphos Airport are exempt from the ban.
12. The operation of archaeological sites, museums and historical sites is suspended.
13. The operation of outdoor and closed theatres, amphitheatres, cinemas and theatres is suspended.
14. The popular markets will operate at 50% occupancy, on the basis of the relevant protocol.
15. Public transport will operate at 50% of its capacity.
16. The operation of closed shopping centres, department stores and large shops beyond 500 sq.m. is suspended. It is understood that food retailers are excluded from the above regulation.
17. The operation of beauty and tattoo centres is suspended.
18. The operation of salons and barbershops is suspended.
19. The operation of the gyms is suspended.
20. The operation of the Driving Schools is suspended.
21. The operation of gambling and betting businesses is suspended.
22. The operation of the casinos is suspended.
23. Swimming pools are suspended, with the exception of the use by persons with disabilities for therapeutic exercise or for training sessions of up to four persons, including the coach.
24. Gyms, swimming pools and spas may be operated in hotels and tourist accommodation only for the service of persons staying overnight in these premises.
25. Limassol Port will only operate for commercial transactions and activities. Cruise ship passengers are prohibited from disembarking.
26. Trainings and sporting events for persons under the age of 18 are suspended.
27. Trainings and sporting events are suspended, with the exception of first division championships and national team matches.
28. The operation and use of organized sports facilities is prohibited, with the exceptions to be specified in the relevant Decree.
29. Group sports and social activities for children under the age of 18are prohibited, as set out in the relevant directives issued by the Ministry of Health.

Source: eyenews

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