Cyprus Mail 4 January 2021 - by Staff Reporter
An urgent meeting between Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou and the epidemiological advisory team is being viewed as the likely precursor to new measures.
The meeting is scheduled for early Monday afternoon, followed by a further meeting on Tuesday attended by the president – with cabinet due to meet on Thursday to take any final decision.
Reports from the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) cited sources as saying that a full-on March-style lockdown is likely and may be announced before Thursday, due to pressure faced by the hospitals.
Under such a scenario, permission to leave one’s home would be required and facilitated via the SMS system.
Months of restrictive measures island-wide have not been successful in reducing the number of coronavirus cases, and, most importantly hospitalisations.
Around 185 people were being treated in hospital on Monday and more were expected in the coming days.
European University lecturer Zoi Dorothea Pana said what was important was hospital capacity.
“We must prevent images like the ones we saw in other countries,” where overwhelmed doctors had to choose whom to send to ICU units.
Pana said there was a need to find the best solution moving forward but whatever that was “January will be a difficult month. Soon we must tell people what will happen in the next days,” she said.
An 11pm curfew was announced on November 4, followed by Limassol and Paphos being put into an almost complete lockdown on November 12.
Restrictions gradually ramped up as most notably the government announced that bars, restaurants and malls were forced to close on December 9. Gatherings and celebrations during the holidays were also more heavily restricted.
