THE [EU] COMMISSION HAS OPENED 43 INFRINGEMENT PROCEEDINGS FOR CYPRUS

Filenews 31 July 2020

The number of pending infringement cases by EU Member States on Community legislation has remained stable, but at the same time the number of new cases has increased by more than 20%, according to figures released today by the Commission.

In particular, the Commission has published an annual report on monitoring the application of EU law, setting out the Commission's actions to monitor the implementation and enforcement of EU law in 2019, as well as the performance of Member States in various policy areas.

According to the report, Cyprus records 54 infringements of EU law in 2019, compared with 67 in 2018. The Commission initiated infringement proceedings for Cyprus, including 15 on the environment, 5 on taxation, 5 on health and food safety, 6 on SMEs, industry, entrepreneurship and the internal market, 3 on transport and 9 on other cases. Cyprus had 31 open cases of late transposition of directives on 31 December 2019, 29 of which were new cases. Of these 11 were for the environment.

According to the report, Greece records 85 infringements of EU law in 2019, compared with 76 in 2018. The Commission has opened infringement proceedings for Greece 39, including 8 for the environment, 4 for taxation, 5 for food health and safety, 6 for SMEs, industry, entrepreneurship and the internal market, 4 for transport and 6 for justice and consumers, 3 for energy, 2 for migration, 2 for communications , 1 on climate change and 3 on financial stability and capital markets union.

Greece had 29 open cases of late transposition of directives on 31 December 2019, 19 of which were new cases. Of these 11 were for the environment.

Especially for Greece, the Commission states that the Court of Justice of the EU has ruled that:

- Greece introduced illegal additional requirements for the training of mediators, in violation of EU rules,

- The application by Greece of a reduced rate of excise duty to alcoholic beverages, Tsipouro and Tsikoudia, produced by distilleries, and the application of an extremely reduced rate to those spirits produced from small occasional distilleries is incompatible with EU law2.

- the Court of Justice has explained to the Greek court that where the public is unable to participate in the environmental impact assessment of a project, the public cannot be given a time limit to appeal against the decision approving the

- and Greek legislation prohibiting a monk who has the status of lawyer in another Member State from registering with the bar because of incompatibility between the monk's status and the profession of lawyer is contrary to EU law.

In addition, according to the report, Luxembourg had the smallest number of new infringement cases launched in 2019 for incorrect transposition or incorrect application of EU law, followed by Estonia and Lithuania with correspondingly good performance.

On the other hand, the largest number of infringements is recorded for Spain, Italy and Greece.

As regards the late transposition of Community legislation, the largest number of new relevant cases were launched against Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece and Cyprus, while the smallest number against Denmark, Italy and Lithuania.

In total in 2019, the Commission launched 797 infringement proceedings with the highest number concerning the environment (175), the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (147) and mobility and transport (83). At the end of 2019, the 1564 infringement procedures remained open. The number of new late transfer cases remained almost the same with 406 new cases in 2019 compared to 419 in 2018.

In detail, in 2019 the Commission launched 797 new procedures and sent 316 reasoned opinions. With regard to new infringement cases until 31 December 2019, Cyprus had the highest number with 43, followed by Greece and Bulgaria with 39, Romania and Ireland with 38 and Poland with 37. Latvia with 13, the Netherlands with 16 and Finland with 17 had the least relevant procedures.

At the end of 2019, 1564 cases of violation remained open, a slight decrease compared to 1571 cases in 2018. In the relevant ranking Cyprus and Greece are in 7th and 5th worst position respectively with 67 and 76 open cases. As far as Cyprus is concerned, open cases are 7 infringements of the Treaties and Regulations, 17 cases of infringement or incorrect transposition of directives, and 43 cases of late transposition of Community law into national law. For Greece the numbers are 12, 32 and 32 respectively.

Eyenews/AFP

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LIMASSOL MUNICIPALITY - ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO TACKLE A PANDEMIC

Filenews 31 July 2020 

At an emergency session convened at noon by Limassol Mayor Nikos Nikolaidis, the Limassol City Council discussed ways and measures to deal with the on-going situation with the pandemic.

As stated in a communication, it was decided to strengthen the synergies of the municipality, with a view to more effective supervision, in cooperation with the police and health services of the State, of the measures announced by the Minister of 

In addition, a number of measures have been decided to assist and support those other measures in force.

These measures concern:

1. Intensification of spraying of both municipal and public spaces and sites that are hotbeds of virus transmission (e.g. bus stops, dog bins, etc.)

2. Suspension of the operation of children's playgrounds in episosis (Molos), in the Public Garden and in the public squares of Renaissance and Philellinon.

3. Pedestrian traffic regulation measures in the Area (Mole) with signs and a dividing lane.

4.Very strict measures and meticulous supervision in all open events of the Municipality with application of what is provided for in the relevant protocols.

5. Very strict surveillance of popular markets.

The Limassol Municipality clarifies that it is monitoring the situation very closely and, depending on developments, will also take appropriate measures in consultation with the relevant services.

The City Council sends a message of responsibility and conscription to all in an effort to stop the further spread of the virus.

Source: eyenews

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RESTRICTIONS ON WEDDINGS AND GATHERINGS AFTER 15/9

Filenews 31 July 2020 

In the context of the questions accepted by the Minister of Health, following the announcement of the additional measures taken to limit coronovirus in Limassol, he was particularly revealing about his intentions for weddings and mass gatherings.

Mr Ioannou said that we are at a focal point and "we must not wait until the measures are finished. The virus will be contained when the vaccine comes in. The restrictions will apply and will be part of our lives until the vaccine is released. I shouldn't have thought we were done.'

Especially for mass gatherings he said that the intention is for the measures taken by 15 September to be extended for a longer period of time. He even called on those planning weddings or big events to take that into account.

In another clarifying question, Mr Ioannou said that the mask would be mandatory for children over six years of age.

Source: eyenews

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REVISED LIST OF LABORATORIES FOR CORONA VIRUS TESTING

in-cyprus 31 July 2020 - by Maria Bitar

The Ministry of Health announces a revised list of private Clinical Laboratories, which have verified the process of performing the diagnostic methodology that detects the genetic material of the virus (RT-RCR), which is the only accepted and approved method of examination of Covid-19, to which Citizens and/or businesses can apply privately to book tests.

It should be noted that as stated in Decontamination Decree No.22, dated 8 May 2020, a maximum price has been set for the performance of a molecular test for corona virus at €85 excluding VAT.

Specifically, in addition to the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics and the Microbiological Laboratories of OKYPY hospitals, the private Clinical Laboratories that have completed the process of verifying the diagnostic methodology that detects the genetic material of the virus (RT-RCR) are:

1. ACT-BIO Laboratories Cooperative (Haris Charilaou Biomedical Laboratories, Andreas Adamou Laboratory and BIOCHECK-Tiggiridis Clinical Laboratories)

2. MEDIFOS Center for Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis

3. Theocharidis Clinical Laboratories

4. MyGene Molecular Diagnostics

5. Diogenous Laboratory (C.D. DNA Biomedica Science Lab)

6. Biomedical Group – Giannoukas Laboratories

7. Clinical Laboratory Collaboration – Bioanalysis Clinical Labs (Limassol), Tymvios Clinical Laboratories (Nicosia) and PZ Agapiou Diagnostics Laboratories

8. NIPD Genetics

9. Laboratory Molecular Department American Medical Centre

10. Iasis Private Hospital Clinical Laboratory

11. Evaggelismos Private Hospital Clinical Laboratory

12. Ygia Polyclinic Private Hospital Clinical Laboratory

13. Mediterranean Hospital of Cyprus Clinical Laboratory

14. A. Evangelou Lab

15. Synlab

16. Aretaeio Hospital Clinical Laboratory

Source: Philenews

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UNDER A YEAR TO TOKYO 2020 CHIEF ASSURED THAT OLYMPICS COULD HAVE 'LIMITED SPECTATORS'

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The Tokyo 2020 games are now scheduled to open on July 23, 2021, after a historic postponement forced by the global march of the pandemic.

For Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto the games could be held in front of a “limited number of spectators” to prevent the spread of infection.

In an interview with BBC Sports, Muto told that “everyone should focus on holding the event next year – we’re on the same page” regarding to organisers as they are committed to holding the event in 2021, with no discussion of cancelling or postponing it further.

Muto added that International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach was “not looking for” a Games held without any fans, but acknowledged smaller audiences might be possible.

“We must build an environment where people feel safe. Athletes and the IOC family may require testing before / after entering Japan and (we need) strong medical systems around accommodation and transportation plans,” Muto added.

The organiser country Japan currently bans visitors from more than 100 countries in a bid to limit the spread of the virus and Muto said it was “too optimistic to assume all restrictions will be gone, so we must think of other ways.”

With just under a year to go until the postponed Games, majority of Japanese citizens have expressed in two polls in July that the Games should be postponed again or cancelled altogether.

Also, several medical experts have suggested the Games will not be viable without a proven treatment or vaccine for the virus.

Muto said a vaccine would be “a benefit … [but] not a precondition.”

Chairman of the Tokyo Co-ordination Committee John Coates sounded a positive note by saying the Games would go ahead with or without a vaccine.

Organisers were “going ahead on the basis there won’t be a vaccine,” Coates told the Australia newspaper.

I added that they were prepared “under whatever scenario we have to face, which will become clearer at the end of the year.”

International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said that “this milestone of the one year to go is a very significant one, for sport but also for the worldwide society. It can and will be the great comeback festival of sport to the international scene and we are preparing for this in the one year that remains for us to make these Olympic Games a real great festival of hope, of resilience and of solidarity. ”

Japan has so far seen experienced a comparatively small corona virus outbreak, but infections have been on the rise, particularly in the capital.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, speaking to Japan’s Kyodo news agency on Wednesday, warned that “containing the new corona virus inside the capital is a prerequisite” for holding the Games.

Source: Reuters London

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OPENING STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AT PRESS CONFERENCE ON CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Opening statement by the Minister of Health, Mr. Constantinos Ioannou, at the press conference on the coronavirus pandemic - 31 July 2020

Following the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in our country, I feel the need to speak to you again, in order to share with you the concerns of the scientific community, the Government and myself.

From the beginning of the health crisis, before the virus even knocked on the door of Cyprus, we chose the difficult path, and together with you we managed to be one of the few countries in the world that faced the pandemic in an exemplary way.

We based our pandemic management strategy on six key pillars:

1 informing and raising public awareness,

2 mass laboratory testing of groups of the general population, through programs that we have implemented and are still implementing,

3 tracking and investigating case contacts for immediate and timely intervention in breaking the chain,

4 strict control at the points of entry,

5 issuance of more than 90 health protocols, in accordance with ECDC and WHO recommendations,

6 close monitoring of the implementation of hygiene regulations.

At present, having formed the core of our strategy, we continue to conduct population screening programmes, to detect potential cases from the community, a practice that ranks us among the top EU countries in terms of number of tests to population ratio. We are constantly monitoring the situation and wherever we spot a need for intervention in the community through laboratory tests, we implement programs such as the last island wide program that we launched with emphasis on Lemesos, in places of mass gatherings. At this point, I would like to emphasize that after the latest results, there is a thought to increase the number.

In addition, since the decision to reopen the airports, a team of epidemiologists has been assessing the epidemiological profiles of countries and, in accordance with European Union guidelines, the various countries are categorized, with weekly updates. We are the only country in the EU, which applies three different categories of countries, a practice followed by Austria since Monday.

At the same time, we stepped up sampling checks at the points of entry. Every day we carry out laboratory tests on passengers from countries of Categories A and B. In combination with the mandatory negative test by Category B passengers, these samplings help us identify, at the points of entry, and isolate as many COVID-19 positive people as possible, thus preventing them from entering the community and transmitting the virus.

Without complacency, and in constant contact with the officials of the Ministry of Health and in close cooperation with the European Commissioner for Health, we are preparing for the autumn and for the worst. At the Ministry, we ordered the Influenza A vaccine in a timely manner, to cover vulnerable groups; we utilized the EU's common mechanism for treating the virus; we participate in the Joint Negotiation Process to enable the timely delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine for the population of Cyprus, which, unfortunately, as all indications show, will not be available before the beginning of 2021.

On the front of monitoring the implementation of the protocols, I must admit that in some cases there has been a relaxation on the part of the competent Services in controlling and enforcing the penalties provided for in the legislation. The instructions given again by my colleague, the Minister of Justice, to the competent parties are strict and clear for zero tolerance for those who violate the relevant Decrees.

[…]

For all the above reasons and in the context of our actions to limit the spread of the virus, in a meeting we had earlier with the Epidemiological Team, under the President of the Republic, the following additional measures were decided upon and apply on an island wide basis, effective from midnight tonight:

1.         It becomes mandatory for the general population to use a mask indoors in crowded places (i.e. shopping malls, banks, supermarkets, hospitals, churches, etc.). In case of violation, the penalty is €300.

2.         Sampling at airports increases from 600 to 1000 tests per day, with focus on Cypriot citizens who return from holiday trips, as it has been proven that a high percentage of coronavirus cases concerns Cypriots who have travelled abroad.

3.         Hospitals, private and public, and nursing homes are advised to strictly apply the visitation regulations and, where possible, visits should be limited to the minimum.

4.         The Police will intensify checks on persons who ought to be in self-isolation upon arrival from Category C countries, or close contacts of coronavirus cases. In coordination with the relevant authorities, daily checks will be performed on those persons.

5.         Checks and surveillance of companies, catering establishments and other establishments will be intensified by the relevant authorities under instructions for show zero tolerance.

In addition to the above, specifically with regard to Lemesos and after the latest developments, in an effort to reduce the outbreaks and dismantle the transmission chains that were identified, the following measures were decided upon and will take effect from midnight tonight:

1. Restore the restriction on the maximum of 10 people at social gatherings.

2. Restore the restriction on the maximum number of people in catering establishments to 75 persons indoors and 150 persons outdoors, regardless of the square meters.

3. In churches, the presence of persons is determined on the basis of square meters according to the protocol, which regardless of this will not exceed 75 people.

4. The limitation of 50% occupancy in public transport vehicles (buses) is restored.

All the above measures regarding Lemesos will be valid for three weeks.

We all need to be more diligent in matters of personal protection, more careful in our movements and more alert of the disease and contact our Personal Doctor if we show symptoms.

[…]

EH/EK

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THE VIRUS TRANSMISSION INDEX IN CYPRUS HAS GONE UP

Filenews 31 July 2020 -Marilena Panagi

Moments of last March Cyprus relives, as the Government prepares to announce measures to stem a new outbreak of the crown virus epidemic on the 

The event inevitably alarmed the competent authorities, which are now keeping a close eye on developments, as in parallel with the increase in cases we have also returned to hospital admissions and at the same time in the last week the virus transmission index has increased significantly and while for about three months it has been at a low level, it has now exceeded 1:1 and now stands at 1.2 -1.3. That is, every person positive for the virus transmits the coronavirus to more than one person.

Scientists are going to the Presidential Palace today to inform the President of the Republic of the new data and it is very likely that from now on the use of masks in enclosed spaces, such as supermarkets, shopping malls and offices, will be mandatory for everyone.

"The situation worries us. Complacency has led to an increase in cases", was the statement of Health Minister Konstantinos Ioannou after his extraordinary meeting with members of the scientific committee. He even informed that "some additional measures" were discussed during the meeting, but did not disclose them.

Information from the "F" indicates, however, that at yesterday's meeting at the Ministry of Health, suggestions were adopted for: 

Mandatory use of mask by everyone.

Increase the number of samples taken at airports to 1,000 per day.

Repeat strict recommendations to hospitals (public and private) and to owners/managers of nursing homes to limit visits.

Mandatory self-isolation of all persons arriving in Cyprus and coming from countries belonging to category C. In fact, serious consideration is given to the Police, which will be called upon to carry out sudden checks in their homes (or where they declare as a place of residence), in order to ensure that they do not move uncontrollably in the Community.

There was also a suggestion that the police should check 10% of all these people every day.

What was said at the Minister of Health's meeting with the scientists is expected to be transferred today to the President of the Republic so that the Government can then take its final decisions.

"What we have been stressing since the beginning of the pandemic, and especially after the relaxation of the measures, is that there should be no complacency. Unfortunately there is complacency in the Community from all of us and this has brought about an increase in cases. I believe that with the measures we have taken, if they are complied with, the situation can be checked and will be checked," said the Minister of Health, adding: "The general impression is that if the existing measures and the very simple measures of self-protection, social distancing and the health protocols that we have adopted - which are beyond 90 for all sectors of the economy - are complied with. , if these are complied with, and to make sure that they are respected I have asked the Ministry of Justice and the other relevant Ministries to make the checks even more intense and this has already started to be done by the Health Officers of the Ministry of Health, I think we can deal with it."

Changed epidemiological data

Unsurprisingly, the increase in the number of confirmed cases over the last ten days, as well as the origin of these cases, has alarmed scientists who are already seeing changes in epidemiological data.

"The recent increase in cases that has been observed gives a change in the epidemiological picture, and now, we can say that there is evidence of its transmission in the community," Professor Irene Christakis told the CYPE, adding that "we should increase everyone's attention on the observance of hygiene measures, the preservation of distances, the use of masks indoors and the maintenance of health protocols by businesses".

Asked if there are cases in areas other than Limassol, Ms Christakis said that "there are also some cases in Nicosia, but at the moment all contacts are being traced to verify exactly the transmission networks". But it should not, he said, "consider that only Limassol has a problem, only Nicosia has a problem, but residents of other areas should not be complacent and be careful in complying with the measures, because at the moment we know that the virus is circulating in more than one area".

For his part, Professor Petros Karagiannis stressed that "we cannot risk the health of the general population, who have behaved responsibly all this time" and indicated that "those individuals who come to Cyprus and must restrict themselves, based on their country of origin, should be informed in advance that if they are found to be in breach of solitary confinement they will be subject to criminal prosecution".

Reopen the reference hospital

After several weeks in which no patients were hospitalized in public hospitals and the reference hospital for the crown virus or the number of nurses was too short and the duration of their hospitalization was minimal, in the last two days the data began to change.

Yesterday, until 3:00 p.m. at the reference hospital, Famagusta Hospital, a total of 5 people were hospitalized, one of them in the Increased Care Unit, while another patient was being treated in a ward at the Nicosia General Hospital. It is important to mention the fact that a significant proportion of the cases identified concern people who show symptoms and are being examined on their own initiative.

In response to a question, Professor Irene Christakis said that "we have some hospital admissions. And because we have always used imports as an indicator of the spread of the disease, then, since there are hospital admissions, it means that the positive cases in the Community are more than we have already found.' For this, he added, "we need careful adherence to the measures we keep saying, keeping the distance, using masks indoors, hand hygiene, adherence to health protocols."

In observing whether this is her message to the world so that this complacency does not exist and that the measures are respected, Ms. Christakis said "exactly, because this will be our new reality and for the Fall that is coming to us". So, "we have to be well prepared and alert, because the crown will not disappear. He'll stay with us next winter for sure,' he concluded.

51% domestic transmission result

Ups and downs in the epidemiological picture of Cyprus are causing the outbreaks of the last few days. In fact, the communicability index has increased significantly in the last week and now stands at between 0.95 and 1.3 while the rate of domestic infections reached 51%, since of the 72 total cases recorded between 29 June and 29 July, 37 related to cases of domestic transmission of coronavirus (35 cases had a history of travel).

It is also important that an increase occurs in the number of people who are positively demonstrated in the crown and then develop symptoms and need to be admitted for hospitalization. According to official data released yesterday by the Ministry of Health, from 25 June to 17 July one or no patients with coronavirus were hospitalized in hospitals. An introduction had been made on 17 July. Until 28 July 4 patients were hospitalized and yesterday 30 July the number of nurses reached 6, of which one patient was in the Increased Care Unit of Famagusta Hospital.

Given the fact that the number of hospital admissions is one of the main indicators used to analyse the epidemiological picture, the six patients mentioned yesterday are of particular concern.

The age of people who tested positive for the crown in the last 30 days is also interesting. According to epidemiological data, the median age of cases in general in the last month was 32 years after individuals belonged to the age group of 24 - 41.5 years. The median age of cases with a travel history was 28 years (age group 24 - 33 years) and the median age of cases of domestic infections was 37 years, since the ages of the affected individuals ranged from 29 to 46 years.

With regard to the coronavirus epidemic since the day of the first outbreak last March, official data show that:

Clinical information is available for 98.4% of whom 35.4% did not report any symptoms at diagnosis and 64.6% reported at least one symptom.

Until 28 July, the cumulative incidence of 14 days of COVID-19 (per 100,000 inhabitants), a measure reflecting the rate of active cases of COVID-19 in the population (prevalence of active disease), was 4.8 per 100,000.

Among all COVID-19 cases, 52% are for men and 48% for women.

The median age of cases is 43 years.

By age groups: 69 infants, children and adolescents up to 17 years of age (6.4%), 762 adults aged 18-59 (71.5%) and 235 people aged 60 and over (22.1%).

Exposure mode is available for 921 cases (86.4%).

Of these cases, 22.7% had a recent travel history or stayed abroad during the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.

Domestic transmission was recorded in 77.3% of cases.

41% related to Limassol

Of the cases recorded in the last 30 days, 41% concerned Limassol, but despite the outbreak recorded it still has a small number of cases compared to the rest of Cyprus. In detail, of the 72 total cases in the last month, 30 or 41% concerned persons residing in Limassol. Of these, 5 people had a travel history and 25 (83%) had a travel history. domestic transmissions. It is reported that 8 out of 10 cases announced yesterday by the Ministry of Health concerned Limassol and specific people who do not have a travel history, but have experienced symptoms and have underwent a private initiative examination and asymptomatic individuals who voluntarily participated in the Sampling Programme of the Ministry of Health.

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END OF AN ERA FOR ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

Filenews 31 July 2020 -Antonis Antoniou

Cyprus-Russia economic and business relations will enter a new era from 1 January 2021, 

All efforts to diversify the Russian federation's intentions to change the double taxation agreement have been exhausted by the government. A last effort was made yesterday, by telephone communication between the President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades and his counterpart Vladimir Putin, however, the outcome was not the desired one for the Cypriot side. According to information from the Presidential Palace, it was not possible to change the decision on additional taxation of companies of Russian interests based in Cyprus, nor to have significant exemptions of companies that would not be taxed with the 15% imposed by the Russian federation on dividends and interest.

As competent sources told "F", the same attitude taken during the negotiations at the technocratic level was also political, with the Russian president reiterating to Nicos Anastasiades that it is a political decision aimed at improving economic data in the Russian federation.

Against this standards, it seems that the only solution left to the Cypriot Government is to accept the revised agreement with any consequences it may have in the field of professional services and in the general economic relations between the two sides. At the technocratic level, efforts have focused on making some exceptions in the implementation of the provisions of the revised agreement. Although the Russians accepted some exceptions, however, they are considered insignificant and with little positive effect.

What are the Russians going to do?

Essentially from 1 January 2021, apart from dramatic developments, a large capital of the Cypriot economy, on which the development of Cypriot-Russian business relations was largely based, is changing drastically. Attention is now turning to the next day and the reaction of the Russian businessmen themselves who are directly affected. Will they move their companies' headquarters to other European countries or even back to Russia or stay in Cyprus, paying increased taxes?

In relation to destinations considered competitive, it is estimated that similar agreements such as Cyprus will be made with Malta and Luxembourg, while for the cases of Switzerland and the Netherlands at this stage it appears that no action will be taken in this direction. If the above scenarios are verified, practically the two countries will have a comparative advantage in attracting Russian companies to set up. On the other hand, these are countries where the cost of providing such services is much higher than in Cyprus and this is obviously a factor that the affected entrepreneurs will take seriously before making their final decisions. There is also the possibility that Russian companies established in Malta and Luxembourg will choose Cyprus as its base following these developments.

A similar situation had been created in 2013, and then, despite the haircut, the increase in the corporate tax to 12.5% and the general climate of anger that prevailed, most Russian companies chose to maintain their presence on the island, although they transferred most of their deposits outside the Cypriot banking system for various reasons.

The revised agreement if accepted and formally signed is expected to be signed in September with the descent of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Cyprus and come into effect from 1 January 2021.

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CORONAVIRUS - SIX MORE CASES ADDED TO FOUR EARLIER ONES [Thursday]

Cyprus Mail 30 July 2020 - by Peter Michael

Six more confirmed cases of Covid-19 were announced by health authorities late on Thursday, adding to the four found earlier in the day.

Thursday’s 10 new cases bring the cumulative total in Cyprus to 1,090.

The six additional positives came from a batch  of 280 tests, from among a new round of 3,000 random samples now being taken supermarkets and malls islandwide.

The earlier four cases announced were from separate 1,789 tests processed over the past 24 hours.

From those, three cases arose from 714 tests conducted on individuals on private initiative.  Two of these individuals were from Limassol.

The fourth case arose from 268 tests processed from workers tested during the second and third phase of lifting restrictions.  The ministry said the individual is a hotel cleaner.

Another 74 tests were processed from individuals tested on doctors’ orders, 162 from contact tracing, 465 from passengers and repatriated individuals, four from Kato Pyrgos residents, and 102 from state hospital laboratories.

Five people are being treated to Famagusta General, the reference hospital, the highest number since July 7, when the last person, who was there since the start of the pandemic, was released.

Doctors said of the five admitted on Thursday, one is in the high-dependency unit.

His condition is stable, doctors said.

One more person with coronavirus is at Nicosia General, and is expected to be transferred to Famagusta on Friday.

There was a spike in cases on Wednesday when 13 new cases were confirmed, causing consternation among the scientific team and the authorities.

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'DOCTOR BILLED HIO EVERY FIVE MINUTES AT €1,170 A POP'

Cyprus Mail 30 July 2020 - by Elias Hazou

The Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) appears unable to crack down on shenanigans by physicians who are registered with the national health system, with one doctor for instance found to have billed the system for cataract surgery once every five minutes.

Lawmakers were discussing the preliminary findings of the auditor-general’s probe into the workings of the HIO and the national health system (Gesy).

The chief findings concentrated on apparent abuses within Gesy, the 37 contracts signed between the HIO and private hospitals, as well as on services that the health system ought to have offered as of this year but has not.

Auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides said the HIO is the single largest semi-governnental organisation with a €1bn budget.

The HIO is the entity tasked with implementing Gesy. In order to operate inside Gesy, individual doctors or healthcare facilities must first enter into a contract with the HIO.

Running through cases of system abuse flagged by the Audit Office, he cited an ophthalmology company – contracted with the HIO – consisting of three doctors, who in the space of seven months racked up €1.7m in billings. Of this, €1.45m went to one of the three doctors.

In another glaring instance, on certain dates a Gesy-registered doctor would bill the system once every five to six minutes for cataract surgery, each costing €1,170.

When he queried HIO officials about this, Michaelides said, their reply was: “Ok, so what?”

Also, in February 2020 a memorandum was signed between the HIO and a private healthcare facility for the second phase of Gesy – the addition of inpatient care. The memorandum was not legally vetted but was nevertheless signed off on by the minister of health and the HIO.

According to the auditor-general, the law states that remuneration procedures and means are defined by regulations; he asked why the HIO lacked these rules.

“At the very least they should have issued circulars determining the methods of remuneration…the HIO has entered into some unlawful contracts, and their answer was that ‘we had to do it if we wanted to sign contracts’.”

What’s more, the watchdog discovered that certain contract clauses refer to physicians with a provider who are not enrolled with Gesy.

“It’s implied in the memorandum that doctors of the hospital or clinic in question can participate in medical acts without them being registered with Gesy, which is an outright breach of the law,” asserted Michaelides.

He said the HIO irregularly decided to leave out of the second phase of Gesy various healthcare services that were provided for – like palliative care, rehabilitation, preventive dentistry, and transportation by ambulance in accidents and emergencies.

Addressing these criticisms, a health ministry official said the HIO did legally vet the memorandums – framework agreements – it signs with hospitals. However, the HIO opted to use their own legal consultants rather than the attorney-general.

HIO acting director Athos Tsinontides acknowledged issues with the system, but hastened to add: “There is no problem, if we do track fraud we can deal with it, but first we need to get the proper documentation.”

He said the HIO is severely understaffed – currently 100 people work there – and asked parliament to help in that regard “since we are administering the largest fund and the biggest project in the Republic of Cyprus.”

The HIO chief insisted the quality of healthcare provided has not been downgraded, meaning taxpayers are getting their money’s worth when contributing to Gesy.

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