CORONAVIRUS - SCIENTISTS SAY SITUATION IN LIMASSOL 'EXTREMELY WORRYING'

Cyprus Mail 26 July 2020 - by Katy Turner

Virologists have said the situation in Limassol is ‘extremely worrying’ after a cluster of cases has surfaced there.

Five cases were identified on Saturday which were contacts of people who tested positive in Limassol earlier in the week. Four are contacts of one of the two people tested positive on Friday.

The sixth case is a contact of one of the people who tested positive on Thursday, which was itself a contact of a woman who tested positive on Tuesday. This is the fourth person linked to Tuesday’s case that concerned a Cypriot woman who was referred to take a test after displaying symptoms.

Speaking to Sigma on Saturday night virologist Leontios Kostrikis said there is a significant upward trend in cases and an active spread of the virus is occurring among multinational workers in the city and in busy places.

Asked if this might lead to a local lockdown, he said that is not currently on the table but anything is possible.

Professor of Microbiology/Molecular Virology at the University of Nicosia Medical School Dr Petros Karayiannis stressed the occurrence of so-called orphan cases – where people test positive for the virus without having had contact with known cases or a travel history – in the community and specifically in Limassol is a cause for concern.

“At the moment, there seems to be an outbreak of infection in Limassol,” he told Sigmalive, adding that one measure to detect other orphan cases is by carrying out 1,000 to 2,000 random sample tests in Limassol.

On Saturday Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced that 3,000 random tests will be given in all districts following the surfacing of ‘orphan’ cases in Limassol.

The testing will start within the coming days, the minister said, expressing his concerns over the detection of new local cases.

“The virus has not been eradicated from the community yet,” Ioannou told the Cyprus News Agency.

Ioannou said that it is important that people who had symptoms and tested positive for the virus acted appropriately and contacted their doctor.

“We want to examine the extent of the virus’ presence in the community,” he said. He added that more details on the random tests would be announced within the coming days.

On the possibility of local lockdowns, Ioannou said his ministry was monitoring the situation very carefully.

“Right now, there are no thoughts for a localised lockdown, since we believe that the situation can be managed,” he said.

Ioannou pointed out that the good epidemiological picture Cyprus has achieved so far depends exclusively on individual behaviour. “No protocol, no checks from relevant authorities will have a good outcome if everyone’s behaviour is not as responsible, mature and disciplined as it was in previous months,” the minister said.

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CORONAVIRUS - 'RESTORING RESTRICTIVE MEASURES THE LAST RESORT AND WE MUST ALL PREVENT IT'

Cyprus Mail 26 July 2020 - by Katy Turner

Following the recent domestic incidents of Covid-19 identified in Limassol, especially the five employees at Wagamama in Limassol Marina, the health ministry on Sunday urged people to be cautious when visiting busy places.

The ministry stressed that all individuals have the social responsibility to protect public health to maintain the island’s good epidemiological picture.

“Reintroduction of restrictive measures is the last resort and we must all prevent such a possibility,” a ministry announcement said.

It is extremely important, despite the relaxation of lockdown measures, that in all cases individual precautionary measures are taken by all citizens, especially when visiting restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, shopping malls, etc where social distancing measures cannot be easily applied, it added.

It is also reminded that the use of a mask is mandatory for employees working in customer service positions, such as cashiers, waiters and chefs. At the same time, the ministry said, staff working and on breaks need to respect social distancing measures.

Regarding the specific restaurant in Limassol Marina, all employees have undergone coronavirus tests and the area has been disinfected for two consecutive days, observing relevant ministry protocols.

Five cases were identified on Saturday which were contacts of people who tested positive in Limassol earlier in the week. Four are contacts of one of the two people tested positive on Friday.

The fifth is a contact of one of the people who tested positive on Thursday, which was itself a contact of a woman who tested positive on Tuesday. This is the fourth person linked to Tuesday’s case that concerned a Cypriot woman who was referred to take a test after displaying symptoms.

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CORONAVIRUS - TWO NEW CASES IN THE NORTH

Cyprus Mail 26 July 2020 - by Katy Turner

Two new coronavirus cases were detected in the north on Saturday, both of which were arrivals from overseas, from a total of 1,179 tests.

Of the two passengers one arrived by sea and one by air.

The two bring the total of Covid-19 cases in the north to 133 while four people have died from the virus.

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'EVERYONE IS PANICKING' OVER QUARANTINE, SAYS UK TOURIST IN SPAIN

in-cyprus 26 July 2020 - by Josephine Koumettou

British tourists flying home on Sunday after a holiday in Spain angrily reacted to an abrupt decision by their government to make everyone arriving from the Mediterranean country spend 14 days in quarantine.

Britain’s decision late on Saturday to take Spain off a safe-travel list over a rise in coronavirus cases took effect from midnight (2300 GMT on Saturday), leaving travellers with no time to dodge it, and with major concerns about their returns, tourists at Madrid’s Barajas airport said.

“It’s really bad because it’s just come all of a sudden, it’s not given very much time to prepare so everyone is now panicking,” said Emily Harrison, from Essex, who was taking a flight to London and faced the prospect of having to self-isolate for two weeks.

“It ruins plans for everybody,” Harrison said. “We had a wedding to go to and we had plans to visit friends and family who we haven’t seen in a very long time and now we are going to have to cancel all those plans, so it’s really quite upsetting.”

Spain was one of the worst hit countries in Europe by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 290,000 cases and over 28,000 deaths. It imposed very strict lockdown measures to contain the spread, gradually easing them earlier in the summer.

Spain had been on a list of countries that the British government had said were safe for travellers to visit – meaning tourists returning home would not have to go into quarantine.

But it has seen a surge of cases in the last few weeks, forcing lockdowns to be reimposed in some areas.

The British decision follows steps by Norway on Friday to re-impose a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain, while France advised people not to travel to Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia.

But a collapse of tourism from Britain would have far more of an impact on Spain’s economy.

Britons made up more than 20% of foreign visitors to Spain last year, the largest group by nationality, a key source of income for a country that depends on tourism for about 12% of its economy.

Some British tourists pointed out that Spain’s mask-wearing rules are much stricter than those in Britain.

“We’re quite frustrated by it to be honest, because it actually feels safer in Spain,” British tourist Carolyne Lansell said of the quarantine decision.

Lansell was flying to Ibiza from Madrid for a 10-day holiday before going home.

Antonio Perez, the mayor of Benidorm, a resort on Spain’s Costa Blanca that is hugely dependent on British tourists, said the British quarantine rule was a “tough blow”.

“We’ve suffered a lot this year and then this happened. We thought that the British were going to come back but this makes things harder for now,” he said.

(Reuters)

Pictured: British tourists returning to UK, check in their luggage, as Britain imposed a two-week quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Gran Canaria Airport, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain July 25, 2020. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

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Prince Joachim of Denmark Hospitalised in France

Following his hospitalisation yesterday, the Danish royal court has issued a statement regarding thee health of Prince Joachim of Denmark:

His Royal Highness Prince Joachim was late last night admitted to Toulouse University Hospital in France. Immediately thereafter, the Prince underwent surgery for a blood clot in the brain. The operation was successful, and His Royal Highness’ condition is stable. 

The Royal House has no further information at this point in time, but it is the wish of Her Majesty The Queen that the public respects the privacy of the family during the hospitalization. Her Royal Highness Princess Marie is with her husband.

Joachim is fifty-one years-old. He is the second son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her late husband Prince Henrik. From his first marriage to Alexandra Manley, Joachim has two sons: Prince Nikolai (b.1999) and Prince Felix (b.2002). The prince and his second wife Princess Marie have two children: Prince Henrik (b.2009) and Princess Athena (b.2012). Earlier this week, Prince Joachim and his family celebrated the eighteenth birthday of Prince Felix. 

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ANOTHER SIX TEST POSITIVE TO COVID-19

in-cyprus 25 July 2020 - by Josephine Koumettou

Another six people tested positive to Covid-19 out of 1682 tests, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, raising the total in Cyprus to 1053.

One of the cases has a travel history and was found via 288 tests carried out from private initiative.

The other five were found through tracing of already confirmed cases (140 tests today).

In addition, the following tests were carried out, all with negative results:

• 175 tests from referrals from personal doctors and checks of special groups through the public health clinics
• 896 tests to passengers and repatriates
• 128 tests from the programme of 10,000 employees who returned to work as part of phase two and three of the reopening of the economy
• 55 tests from hospital labs

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BRITONS DIVIDE EPIDEMIOLOGISTS

Filenews 25 July 2020 - by Dimitra Landou

The members of the epidemiological team seem to have a difference of opinion on the epidemiological picture of Britain and its forthcoming category B categorisation.

Britain is the hot potato of tourism, and it is our biggest market, which puts pressure on the Department of Health. As is the data so far, if the country continues to demonstrate this improved epidemiological picture and in the coming days, the Scientific Advisory Committee is to upgrade it from category C to B from 1 August, with travellers required to have carried out a laboratory check in the last at least 72 hours prior to departure and to have a certificate , which proves a negative PCR test for the virus.

On burning coals are the tourist operators because of the free trips of the British to Greece. The picture in the epidemiological team is divided. On the one, Dr Petros Karagiannis in his public statements said that Britain may soon (even from 1 August) be placed in category A, due to the better picture presented by the country as the virus transmission index is below 1. This scenario is expected by all tour operators, as tour operators have said that this is the only way to bring tourists to Cyprus.

Contrary to this possibility seems to be Dr. Leontios Kostrikkis, who says that it is not even given the categorization of Britain in category B. Mr. Kostrikkis, in his statements to "F", appears more restrained in his predictions. "I do not think that from 1 August Britain can join category A. The British could, after an assessment, enter category B," mr. Kostrikkis pointed out. "Britain is not yet a Category A country," was the clear message sent by Mr. Kostrikkis. "It will be evaluated, as assessed by all countries. No favours will be done," he noted, adding that "it is not yet certain that it will be categorised into category B."

 Dimitra Landou

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GREECE TO REQUIRE NEGATIVE CORONAVIRUS TEST FOR ENTRY FROM BULGARIA, ROMANIA

Reuters 25 July 2020 

ATHENS (Reuters) - Visitors to Greece arriving by air from Bulgaria and Romania will need to provide proof they have tested negative for coronavirus to gain entry, Greece's Civil Protection authority said on Saturday.

The requirement, which will come into effect from July 28 to August 4, will not apply to Greek nationals arriving from those countries.

"Based on an analysis of epidemiological data, arrivals to Greece via air connections from Bulgaria and Romania will be required to provide a negative test result for the coronavirus that has been done up to 72 hours before their arrival," the authority said.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Bulgaria passed 10,000 on Saturday, with 270 confirmed new infections in the past 24 hours, official data showed.

The Civil Protection authority said it is continuously monitoring data to ensure that the opening of the country to foreign visitors is done safely.

Greece is not facing a second wave of infections but needs to remain vigilant, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias told Skai TV on Saturday.

"If we stop being careful and continue to relax and infections spread, then everything can change," he said.

Greece has managed to contain the spread of coronavirus to 4,135 confirmed cases and 201 deaths based on the latest data after imposing an early lockdown.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Mike Harrison)

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75% OF COVID CASES IN LAST 30 DAYS WERE MEN [infographics]

in-cyprus 25 July 2020 - by Josephine Koumettou

Of the 55 Covid-19 cases reported in Cyprus from June 24 until July 23, 75% were men according to the latest epidemiological data released on Saturday by the Health Ministry.

In addition, 34 of those cases were imported and the rest were locally acquired.

As of July 23, a total of 852 people have recovered from Coronavirus in Cyprus (83.6% of all cases) while tests have been carried out at a rate of 21,758 per 100,000 population.

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CYPRUS ISSUES FINAL BUILDING PERMIT FOR EUROASIA INTERCONNECTOR CONVERTER STATION

in-cyprus 25 July 2020 - by Josephine Koumettou

Cyprus is now one step closer to lifting its energy isolation after issuing the final building permit to EuroAsia Interconnector, the official project developer of the European Project of Common Interest PCI 3.10 Israel-Cyprus-Greece (Crete), for the construction of the high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station in Cyprus.

Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry Natasa Pilides welcomed the development in a post on twitter, saying it was “an important development for Cyprus”.

According to a press release by the project developer, the issue of the relevant permit provides the green light for the construction of the HVDC converter station, for which Siemens has been chosen as the preferred bidder.

Already, the Planning and Housing Bureau of the Republic of Cyprus has approved since November 2019 the planning permit for the HVDC converter station with a capacity of 2,000 MW, as well as the landing points of the subsea cable that connects the electricity networks of Cyprus and Israel with Greece (Crete) and the EU.

In June 2019, the 33-year land lease agreement was signed at the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry in Nicosia, for the construction of the HVDC converter station in Cyprus, with the project promoter having the option to renew the lease for two more periods of 33 years each, while the necessary environmental, technical and other studies have already been completed and the relevant permits received from the Cyprus authorities.

The construction cost for the first phase of the Israel-Cyprus-Greece (Crete) interconnection with a transmission capacity of 1,000MW is estimated at €2.5 bln, with significant social and economic benefits for all the countries involved. The Cyprus-Greece (Crete) interconnection PCI 3.10.1 will be commissioned by December 2023 and parallel to this, the Israel-Cyprus electricity interconnector PCI 3.10.2 will also be completed by December 2023.
The EuroAsia Interconnector ends the energy isolation of Cyprus, the last EU member state that remains fully isolated without any electricity energy interconnection, the press release says.

As a leading European Project of Common Interest, labelled by the European Commission as an ‘electricity highway’, the EuroAsia Interconnector electricity link PCI 3.10 Israel-Cyprus-Greece (Crete) is eligible for grants from the €8.7 bln fund (2021-2027) of the “Connecting Europe Facility” (CEF).

(CNA)

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