Cyprus-Israel in COVID19 medical exchange

Cyprus has agreed to send a quantity of chloroquine medicine to Israel in the next few days while in exchange Israel will dispatch 50 respirators to the island.

A written statement by the Government Spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said that President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday spoke over the phone with his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to discuss the COVID19 pandemic.

He said that Rivlin responded positively to a Cyprus request for 50 respirators to be sent to the island whereas Anastasiades agreed for Nicosia to send a quantity of chloroquine to its friendly neighbour.

Israel and Cyprus have become close allies in recent years in their joint search for energy riches.

Drug export ban

Cyprus Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has issued a decree prohibiting the export of any drugs unless his written permission is granted.

The decree which was published on Friday in the Cyprus Government Gazette comes into effect immediately.

The decree was issued to protect public health and to prevent the possibility of the health system collapsing by the virus spreading, taking into account the demands in human resources and logistical infrastructure which would be necessary if it were to rapidly spread and because it has become imperative to take further measures in addition to the ones already taken.

The decree was issued because of the necessity to guarantee and to maintain a sufficient stock of pharmaceutical products in the Republic to meet the needs of the population and to avoid having shortages.

“No export of pharmaceutical products from the Republic to any other country, including EU members states, will take place from now on unless permission has been given in writing by the Minister of Health,” the decree said.