Pafos Press 21 June 2024
Dr. Christou advised that the period we are going through is of high risk, due to the prevailing weather conditions, the increased temperature and high humidity, adding that therefore they are obliged and required by the current legislation to carry out official controls in food premises which are mainly considered high risk, such as restaurants.
In this context, Dr Christou says they are intensifying checks both during working hours and during night hours in order to verify that they operate based on the provisions of the current legislation regarding hygiene and food safety.
Dr. Christou noted that as part of the inspections, the Health Services of the Municipality of Paphos identified a mini market "in which unacceptable sanitary conditions prevailed in terms of food storage".
"The Health Services of the Municipality of Paphos requested the cooperation of the Veterinary Services and the Health Services of the Ministry of Health and on the spot", he added, "all the food that was in the refrigerator and freezer was confiscated and destroyed with the agreement of the food business manager ''.
This property, continued the head of the Health Service in the Municipality of Paphos, has been put on the list of increased inspections and will be inspected at very regular intervals until they find that it has complied with all the requirements of the applicable legislation, he added.
In addition to the official controls regarding the infrastructure, procedures, hygiene and food safety systems, Dr. Christou continued, various food sampling programs and laboratory tests are underway at the General State Chemistry of the State to scientifically ascertain the quality of prepared foods and especially those perishable foods.
Dr. Christou also referred to the control of public swimming pools that is carried out at this time. "On-site inspections are carried out and samples are taken to determine both the microbiological and chemical composition of the water of the swimming pools, in addition to the on-site checks made regarding the presence of an appropriate amount of disinfectant, which will act as a preventive in the microbiological state of the water ", he said.
Another ongoing program, he added, is the control and fight against insects and rodents, with a particular emphasis on mosquitoes, which are on the rise this season due to weather conditions.
Dr. Christou appealed to the residents of the houses and to all citizens in general to carry out regular inspections outside the yard of their houses to find out if there is standing water and there to take measures so that it does not exist because, as he said, with a little standing water an entire neighbourhood can be affected.
