Cyprus Mail 29 March 2020 - by Jonathan Shkurko
The foreign ministry announced has announced that as of Tuesday, a special online platform will be launched on which all Cypriot citizens abroad, including students, will be required to register.
The platform will be used by the government to publish important announcements or updates regarding the coronavirus situation in Cyprus, the ministry said. Details will be made public on Tuesday.
Cypriot students who are in the UK and need to contact a doctor can do so by emailing doctors@cypriotfederation.org.uk . A special telephone line will be set up in the coming days,the ministry said.
Those in need of medication that they cannot obtain where they are can apply for assistance either by email at comunit@mfa.gov.cy, or alternatively by phone, calling (+357) 22 801000.
“In these cases, and if objective difficulties are documented, an effort will be made to dispatch the medicines from Cyprus where conditions permit,” the ministry said.
“For the United Kingdom in particular, it is noted that all Cypriot citizens in the country, including students, have the right to apply to the National Health Service (NHS) for the purpose of securing their medication, on the basis of a relevant bilateral agreement in force,” it added.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, under the auspices of the ministry, will be launching a programme to send a free parcels of Cypriot food to students in the UK.
Those who wish to register to the programme can do so at www.cypriotfederation.org.uk/studentfood/.
The federation of Cypriots in the UK has also compiled a useful list of UK-based Cypriot doctors who can give medical advice to students who are not registered with Britain’s NHS. The group has also listed Cypriot-owned and operated hotels for those that need somewhere to stay.
Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides has had telephone conversations with several heads of student organisations, specifically with the president of the Pancyprian Federation of Student Unions (Pofen) and with the heads of the unions of Cypriot students in the UK, in Greece, in Bulgaria and in the Czech Republic (Efek).
Christodoulides briefed the students on the current situation in Cyprus, putting emphasis on the issue of repatriation, in particular with regard to vulnerable student groups, the ministry said.
