Cyprus confirmed another seven new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, involving a returning Bulgarian and a person with a travel history to the US, as well as three more from Limassol, where a spike in the number of infections is worrying the authorities.
Already, Limassol Marina was shut down for disinfection after several cases were found at some of the eateries in the past week and at a gym a few weeks ago.
The first case reported on Tuesday was a Bulgarian citizen, permanently resident on the island, who was tested at the airport upon his arrival. He was tested along with another 859 passengers.
Two other cases were identified after a couple tested positive at a private lab with one of them having recently returned from the USA who, reportedly, violated the quarantine orders and roamed freely.
A total of 452 tests were conducted at private labs.
Tuesday’s positive cases were detected from 1,974 tests bringing the total number of infections recorded in Cyprus since the outbreak in March to 1,067.
According to epidemiological data, no positive cases were detected from 35 tests of employees returning to work during the last stages of relaxing the lockdown, or 58 tests by the Microbiological Labs of general hospitals.
Also returned negative were 35 lab tests on employees who went back to work during phase two and three of easing restrictive measures.
The Ministry of Health also said it had carried out 99 tests on contacts of known coronavirus cases without identifying a new infection.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot authorities have reported another two cases on Tuesday taking the total of COVID-19 cases in the Turkish occupied north to 137 and four deaths.
According to health authorities in the north, a total of 29 cases were reported in July.
Turkish Cypriot authorities allowed entry into the north from 1 July, initially allowing people from coronavirus-struck Turkey without a test or being quarantined.
The very next day they were forced to reconsider as the first two cases were detected involving arrivals from Turkey.
Authorities in the north are now submitting all arrivals to a coronavirus PCR test.
