To avoid total lockdown, Cyprus is imposing a night-time curfew from Thursday until November 30 in a bid to blunt a sharp spike in coronavirus cases and protect the health service.
A night-time curfew earlier imposed on Limassol and Paphos now applies to the entire country from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Bars, cafes, and restaurants will also have to close daily at 10.30 p.m. nationwide.
President Nicos Anastasiades gave a televised address Wednesday following a cabinet meeting on the health crisis to urge ‘fatigued’ Cypriots to comply with the new measures.
“Today I speak not only as President, but much more as a father, a grandfather, a parent who worries about the fate of his loved ones, but also about the fate of his fellow citizens,” said Anastasiades.
“The daily increase of cases can take uncontrollable dimensions, threatening the health system, jobs, the well-being of everyone,” he added.
Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced the tougher measures saying they were necessary to avoid harsher restrictions.
Cyprus has seen daily infections rise to record three-digit figures after keeping numbers low for most of the summer.
It has seen more cases in the past four weeks than it had done in the last seven months.
Ioannou said the measures were necessary to protect the health service and stop the virus spreading as cases had stabilised.
Cyprus introduced mask-wearing in all outdoor spaces after a record surge of 202 daily cases on 17 October.
The wearing of face masks everywhere will remain compulsory until 15 January.
On Wednesday, health authorities reported 166 COVID-19 cases, the second-week running three-digit figures were recorded.
At the end of September, the number of cases reached 1,755, they are now at 5,100.
Some 65 percent of all COVID-19 cases since the outbreak in early March were reported in the past five weeks, while the death toll remains relatively low at 26.
Limassol is the island’s virus hotspot with 420 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by the resort town of Paphos with 294, Ioannou said.
In Limassol and Paphos, all after-school leisure activities are banned as are organised grassroots championships for under 18s.
Professional sporting events can go ahead without spectators.
Gyms plus all indoor and outdoor children’s play areas must also close in these districts.
These stricter measures apply from 5 November until 16 November.
On a national scale, household gatherings are limited to 10, while hospitality venues can only accommodate restricted numbers.
Health authorities blame the spike on Cypriots not following the rules on mask-wearing, hygiene, and social distancing.
The island had largely kept a lid on the pandemic by introducing an early lockdown and curfew in March which was gradually eased from early May.
The government is keen to avoid another draconian lockdown regime with the economy already in recession.
Businesses were also urged to encourage their employees to work from home.
