in-cyprus 14 April 2020 -Josephine Koumettou
NEW CASES / FATALITIES
One more has died in the Republic of Cyprus from Covid-19, raising the tally to 12, eight men and four women. Positive cases are now at 662, with 29 reported yesterday, an uptick from the 17 cases reported the day before.
One has also died in the Turkish-held north, the fourth fatality, as cases there rose to 100 on Monday.
12 of the new cases in the Republic of Cyprus were from the same workplace that was confirmed today to be a Zorbas facility in Aradippou. Alpha Mega also announced that cases were found at its Engomi supermarket although it was not specified how many.
Meanwhile, the Kouklia community announced free Covid tests for all its residents.
Five Cypriots in the New York metropolitan area have also been reported dead from the virus.
FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS
Payment of special allowances to 167,000 employees and self-employed by the Labour Ministry to help them weather the financial consequences of Covid-19 has started today.
11,000 of those applied were said to have entered wrong bank account details, and the government is sending them text messages to amend.
REPATRIATIONS
Three repatriation flights are taking place through Larnaca airport on Tuesday, as the British High Commission notifies British tourists stranded here that it is working with the Cypriot government to organise a further repatriation flight from Larnaca to London Heathrow on Wednesday.
Another 140 were repatriated on Monday on flights to Larnaca from London and Sofia.
At the same time, the Presidential Palace announced the government has secured another 1,000 rooms to quarantine those brought back, increasing total capacity to 2,000.
POLICING
48 drivers and pedestrians were booked for breaking the curfew and stay at home decree overnight, a drop on previous days.
A 37 year old foreign national has been jailed for 45 days for breaking the stay at home decree.
Another was jailed for three months yesterday for flouting the stay at home decree five times and for other traffic offences.
Meanwhile, police had to warn the faithful that home delivery of the Holy Light on Easter Sunday is prohibited, as the police launched an investigation into a service held by the Bishop of Morphou in Peristerona on Palm Sunday.
