COVID19: Cyprus relaxes some measures for Limassol, as transmission ‘thinning’

Cyprus Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said Tuesday that the spread of the coronavirus seems to be thinning and the situation seems to be improving, allowing for a partial relaxation of measures for the port town of Limassol that had seen a disproportionate increase in Covid19 infections in recent weeks.

The minister had a teleconference with the scientific advisory committee after which it was agreed that the congregation of ten people for public or family events would be relaxed to allow 50 people, but that all other measures announced on August 1 would remain in place.

These include a maximum of 75 people in any indoor catering facility and 150 in open-air areas, while any public gathering, including church services, should not exceed 75 people.

Ioannou said that the teleconference also focused on measures to be taken prior to the autumn and schools reopening, as well as dealing with asymptomatic cases and a rise in infections among young people.

The advisory team is expected to propose new measures to the minister, considering that Cyprus has strictly adhered to European Centres of Disease Control (ECDC) policies such as contact tracing, testing and rapid isolation.

The advisors also concluded that 2,000 lab tests, particularly from Limassol, have produced a strong indication of the general situation, part of a wider programme of 10,000 random testing that has taken place on the island.

The relaxation of measures in Limassol will be reviewed on a weekly basis, they concluded, but added that a better public campaign must continue to make sure that complacency is avoided and that the general public adopt a culture of improved behaviour.