COVID19: Cyprus reaches coronavirus ground zero

For the second time since the coronavirus outbreak in March, Cyprus has recorded zero COVID-19 cases as it gears up to welcome foreign tourists.

No COVID-19 cases were recorded on Wednesday from a total of 2,640 tests, the Health Ministry announced.

Therefore the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at 939, including 12 in the British Bases.

There have been 17 deaths directly caused by the virus since the outbreak on March 9.

Cyprus first announced zero daily cases on 23 May, the next day they shot back up to eight.

The Health Ministry said that 539 tests were carried out among employees at hairdressing salons, barbershops, tattoo studios and restaurants that reopened last week after two months of lockdown.

Moreover, 1,069 samples s part of the scheme for school pupils and teachers, there were also 106 tests on employees in the retail sector and at construction sites.

Ninety-one tests concerned tracing contacts of already confirmed cases while 102 samples were tested in the framework of the programme for testing specific groups of the population through Public Medical Centres.

Some 316 tests were carried out by hospital labs on patients while 209 tests concerned people who were repatriated, while 208 tests were carried out on the private initiative.

Five patients are being treated at Famagusta General, which is the COVID-19 reference hospital.

One patient is being treated at the Acute Care Unit, another was discharged from the hospital.

Three other patients are on ventilators at Nicosia General Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

Turkish Cypriot authorities have reported no new coronavirus cases since late April, their total remains at 108, and four deaths.