COVID19: Police report 500 violations of Cyprus lockdown

Nearly 500 people were reported by police on Sunday for violating strict social distancing rules during the coronavirus lockdown.

Cyprus police told CNA on Monday that 10,494 checks were carried out in the last 24 hours, in which a total of 455 individuals were reported for violating the decree of the Ministry of Health on restricted movement in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.

In 5772 checks at premises across Cyprus, there was only one report about a coffee shop in the Morphou district remain open.

Under tough social distancing rules, all movement outside the home must be granted approval for essential journeys only.

All pubs, bars, clubs, gyms, cinemas, theatres, museums, cafes, shops, business have been shut down in a wide-ranging lockdown to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Nicosia had the most people who did not comply with the restrictions with 1,051 checked in the capital and 101 of whom did not have permission.

A total of 518 premises were investigated but no violations were reported.

In Limassol 265 checks resulted in 32 people being booked, while in Larnaca 447 checks were carried out and 19 people were found to be moving around without permission while nine were caught in Paphos.

Violation of social distancing measures can incur €150 on-the-spot fine, or if taken to court the maximum punishment is 6 months jail and/or €3,000 fine.

Following the mass violations, Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou appealed for everyone to drastically limit their social contacts after a record daily spike in new Covid-19 cases on Sunday.

“We are very concerned about the large increase in confirmed cases, as contact tracing revealed that the virus has been transmitted through the family environment by individuals who had not isolated themselves.

It is unfortunate that we find many cases of people who do not confine themselves and transmit the coronavirus without knowing it”, Ioannou said.