A requirement for workers exempted from the lockdown travel ban in Limassol and Paphos to carry a negative coronavirus test was postponed for a day until Thursday following chaotic scenes at testing centres.
The 24-hour delay comes amid public anger over the way the government has handled the second wave of COVID-19, and the measures introduced to combat it.
Due to overwhelming demand for coronavirus tests for workers allowed to travel to and from Limassol and Paphos, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday that it was postponing the requirement to show proof of a negative PCR test from Wednesday to Thursday 5 am.
The ministry said officials miscalculated the number of people needing a test to be exempted from the lockdown.
A free PCR testing programme, for people exempted from the Paphos and Limassol travel ban, was launched on Sunday.
On Monday afternoon, the Health Ministry issued an apology to people needing to be tested after long queues formed at testing facilities in Limassol an Paphos.
The change in policy means that those allowed to travel to, from and between Limassol and Paphos have an extra day to get tested and receive their results.
Reportedly, long lines emerged once again in Limassol and Paphos on Tuesday as people were receiving mixed messages from the testing crews on site.
On Tuesday, the ministry said it would be adding another two testing points in Limassol increasing them to four.
In Paphos, people waiting to be tested were initially told that the test centre would not open, and according to reports were redirected to Limassol, only for them to be told that it would open at 10 am.
The centre was expected to be operational by 8 am, as was the case on previous days, but officials stated that work would begin at 10 am. People had been queuing since 8.30 am.
Confusion also reigned among people who presented themselves to be tested but were sent back as they did not have the necessary paperwork to prove they were to be exempted.
Some people who presented electronic proof issued to their mobile phones was dismissed by the laboratory conducting tests demanding hard copies to be presented.
Last week the lockdown of Limassol was postponed by a day, as the Health Ministry was late in issuing the relative decree.
When the decree came into force last Friday, roadblocks were set up at the entries and exits of the two districts on lockdown with police officers stopping every vehicle asking to see the paperwork.
This resulted in long queues on the highways, prompting Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis to step in and order officers to conduct random checks rather than checking every single vehicle.
Following Yiolitis’ intervention little to no queues were reported on Tuesday.
Due to a surge in cases, residents of Limassol and Paphos will be under lockdown rules until November 30, a daily curfew will also in effect from 8 pm to 5 am.
The decree specifies the circumstances under which people are exempt from the restrictions and can still travel to and from Limassol or Paphos.
Paphos along with Limassol have been declared as centres of COVID-19 as according to the latest epidemiological data, Limassol’s 14-day cumulative notification rate on 8 November had risen to 516.9 per 100,000, as did Paphos at 226.4.
The ‘safe’ benchmark according to the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) is 150 per 100,000.
