President Nicos Anastasiades is meeting the scientific advisory committee Friday followed by a Cabinet session to endorse fresh measures to stem a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou is expected to announce the measures at Nicosia General hospital at noon.
The measures will be decided under the weight of the ever-increasing number of COVID-19 patients needing to be hospitalised.
Thursday saw the number of COVID patients reach a record 109.
The death toll also rose to 48 as an elderly man treated at the COVID-19 referral clinic at Famagusta General died from the virus.
Based on leaks to the media leading up to Friday’s announcement, Ioannou is expected to announce two sets of measures.
One being a stricter set of rules in the run-up to Christmas, and an easing of restrictions from December 23 until the New Year.
The most likely scenario includes horizontal measures across the island combined with the lifting of lockdown in Paphos, which has managed to put a lid on infections.
Limassol will be subject to stricter measures; however, scientists are mulling on relaxing some measures such as lifting a travel ban to the district and allowing some shops to reopen.
Islandwide restrictions already in place are expected to remain, including the limited number of people allowed to gather at households, church service attendance and other social events.
A night-time curfew in place is not expected to be lifted.
Latest measures imposed on 13 November, saw Paphos and Limassol go on lockdown, while travel to and from the districts, along with an early night-curfew starting at 8 pm, was introduced.
Limassol has been the epicentre of the most serious infection rates, with the rolling figure over the past 14 days below 500 per 100,000 population, far above the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s benchmark 150 per 100,000.
Meanwhile, EU officials are warning European countries not to ease coronavirus restrictions too quickly.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen warned against countries relaxing measures too soon, stressing the risk of a post-Christmas third wave.
A number of European nations are slowly relaxing measures including stay-at-home orders put in place to fight the pandemic, as they gear up for the holiday season.
But von der Leyen told EU lawmakers: “We must learn from the summer and not repeat the same mistakes, relaxing too fast.”
