COVID19: Cyprus cases drop to 63 amid Limassol curfew

Cyprus health officials announced 63 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 on Sunday after a rollercoaster week that saw daily cases spike to 202 on Saturday, due to clusters linked to cafés and shisha bars popular among university students.

Sunday was also the first day of stricter measures for Limassol where a curfew was imposed forcing all establishments to close by 10.30pm and limited all movement by 11.30.

To date, 835 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in October alone, almost a third of all 2,644 cases since the pandemic started.

However, the past week saw new cases propelled to 575, some 70% of which in Limassol.

After closing a number of cafés and shisha bars, where the virus was transmitted rapidly, mainly among university students and nursing school students from the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), the ministry of education shut down the 25th Elementary School of Ekali, in Limassol, that accounted for ten new coronavirus infections. The ministry also closed the Theoskepasti special school in Paphos.

Of the 63 new cases reported on Sunday, 22 were identified through contact tracing linked to earlier cases or growing clusters. However, only five new cases were discovered among arriving passengers at Larnaca and Paphos airports.

At the same time, the number of patients found to be positive with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and referred to hospitals for treatment has risen to 15. Two new patients were admitted and seven were released. Two remain intubated and critical at the Covid-19 virus ward at Nicosia General.