in-cyprus 21 March 2020 -Edited by Bouli Hadjioannou
A total of 779 people who arrived in Cyprus since Monday afternoon when new stringent measures came into force to contain the spread of Covid-19 are in quarantine at seven hotels, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The quarantine period is for 14 days. All passenger flights have been prohibited for two weeks, effective from 3 am on Saturday.
However, flights chartered by the government to repatriate those eligible to enter are exempted, as are rescue flights arriving in Cyprus to take tourists home.
The ministry said that three chartered flights are due today carrying 439 people from the UK. They too will be quarantined.
The ministry said it has set up a Coordination Centre to coordinate the safe transfer of quarantined passengers and ensure their stay is as comfortable as possible:
- Coordination on a 24 hour basis for the safe transfer of citizens arriving at Larnaca and Paphos to the hotels where they will be quarantined in cooperation with the private transportation company contracted by state, Hermes Airports which operates Larnaca and Paphos airports, police and the Zernon Coordination centre
- Coordination on a 24 hour basis for the safe transfer of citizens arriving at Larnaca and Paphos who recently underwent an operation or suffer from a serious condition or accompany children to be placed in self-isolation at home in cooperation with medical staff at the airports and the private transportation company contracted by the state,
- Coordination on a 24 hour basis for the most comfortable and safe accommodation of those who are being quarantined in cooperation with the management of each hotel to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as individual care for each person in the hotel
- Strict adherence to the rules of quarantine in cooperation with the National Guard (guarding the exterior, entrance and exits) a private security firm (guarding interior) and police
- Cooperation with the Commissioner for Volunteerism to distribute a package with items of personal hygiene to all those in quarantine
- Health officers to brief all those in quarantine on all issues relating to coronavirus, strict adherence to the rules of isolation and taking their temperature
- Coordination on a 24 hour basis to provide medical care to whoever may need it in cooperation with personal doctors and supply of medicine to all those who take it and have run out.
- Coordination on a 24 hour basis to immediately resolve any problems that may arise with visits of Health Ministry officials to the hotels
- Provision of gloves, masks, antiseptics to all the hotels hosting quarantined individuals
- Coordination on a 24 hour basis with the crisis management centres of the Foreign Ministry, the National Guard and police
