Anti-maskers fined after Nicosia demo

A demonstration by anti-maskers held over the weekend led police scouring through video footage and other material to identify participants in violation of the recently-imposed mandatory mask rule for all outdoor areas, with two out of the 10 so far identified fined.

On Saturday, a demonstration was held outside the Presidential Palace in opposition to restriction measures aiming to curb the spread of coronavirus, as well as against masks and vaccines.

The dozens that had gathered walked Nicosia streets clumped together without a mask, flouting the recent stricter measure requiring the public to wear masks outdoors, that was imposed in response to the recent flare-up of the virus that saw daily new cases surge to three-digit numbers.

After the demonstration, police said they would be looking into audiovisual material from the event in an attempt to identify any participants who would then face a €300 fine for violating coronavirus measures.

So far, 10 people have been identified, of which two have been located and handed the hefty fine. Police said efforts to identify more participants of the demonstration are ongoing.