The government of Cyprus on Wednesday announced fresh measures aimed at curbing an increase in coronavirus infections, including a nighttime curfew.
“The lifting of most of the restrictive measures has, unfortunately, led to complacency, and the illusion that we have finally overcome the dangers,” President Nicos Anastasiades said in a public address.
Starting from Friday, a curfew will be imposed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. while bars, cafés, restaurants and cultural venues will have to shut at 10.30 p.m. Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said these measures will be in place until the end of November.
The use of face masks will be mandatory outdoors and in public indoor areas for everyone older than 12, at least until mid-January. Cinemas and theaters will continue to operate with 50 percent capacity.
Supermarkets, other food retailers and pharmacies will only be able to serve pensioners and people with disabilities from opening time until 9 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m.
“Today I talk to you not only as president, but much more as a father, as a grandfather, as a parent who worries about the fate of his loved ones, but also about the fate of his fellow citizens,” Anastasiades said.
The Mediterranean island handled the first wave pandemic better than many other countries and has been relatively cautious in its reopening to tourists. However, cases rose from an average of a couple of dozen a day to in the hundreds since mid-October.
Meanwhile, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to announce a second lockdown. The PM’s office said Mitsotakis will hold a televised press on Thursday at noon.
Greek Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias told local TV that a health experts commission had suggested a nationwide lockdown for a month.
“The prime minister will announce his decision tomorrow, obviously taking into account the suggestion of the commission,” he said.
He added that in Athens and the broader region, 72 percent of intensive care beds are already occupied, while in northern Greece 80-90 percent of such beds are full.