Despite coronavirus cases stabilising after a protracted spike the government has decided not to roll back lockdown measures on shopping malls, hospitality or churches.
After a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, government spokesperson Kyriacos Koushos said ministers are not convinced that the situation in Cyprus allows for relaxations, but the situation will be reassessed as planned on 23 December.
“The epidemiological picture, as assessed by epidemiologists, is such that it does not allow for any relaxation at this stage, but the issue will also be discussed at the next cabinet meeting,” Koushos said Wednesday.
Since implementing a shutdown on malls, hospitality, and churches to stem the spread of the Coronavirus on 11 December, the government has come under pressure from the Church to allow the faithful to attend services.
Shop owners in malls have also urged the government to allow them to open so they can recoup heavy losses in the run-up to Christmas.
The government said it would review the situation based on new data.
Meanwhile, the rate of new coronavirus cases is expected to stabilise and begin to drop, ending a protracted spike peaking at 424 last Friday.
Cyprus has reported three-digit daily COVID-19 cases since 27 October.
Virologist Peter Karayiannis, professor at the University of Nicosia medical school told the Cyprus News Agency that a drop is expected which could impact measures over the holiday season.
“Any decision about new measures before Christmas would be last minute and dependent on the epidemiological situation,” said Karayiannis.
“Given the epidemiological situation as it stands now, I do not think there will be additional measures because our numbers are not increasing. If they were, it would be difficult for there to be relaxations and stricter measures may be required.”
Karayiannis suggested that Tuesday’s 339 new cases could indicate light at the end of the tunnel.
“Usually, Tuesdays record an increase compared to Mondays, because of the weekend, when there are fewer tests carried out.
“We did not see that, and I hope this is a good omen. Of course, we must wait and see the situation in the next two or three days to whether the numbers have stabilised or are falling”.
Down to the measures, including a 9 pm curfew, Karayiannis believes cases will drop as they did in Limassol and Paphos after local lockdowns there.
“We hope to see the same thing in the current phase. The stricter measures will have been in place for 15 days on Friday.
“Theoretically, we will know at the start of next week if they have paid off.”
Karayiannis said that whatever measures are to be in place during Christmas, the public must be careful, especially during household gatherings as these must not exceed the maximum 10 people set by the protocol.
Cyprus has registered 84 COVID-19 deaths and 15,789 cases since the outbreak.
