Cabinet ponders quick fix to Christmas measures

New proposed measures heading for a Cabinet meeting on Monday could mean more restrictions for unvaccinated citizens but also tougher protocols for contacts who already got the jab against COVID-19.

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According to Kathimerini Cyprus, health experts and government officials are monitoring the week before Christmas day by day before it can be decided whether recently decided or additional measures should apply for the winter holidays.

Kathimerini’s Apostolos Tomaras said information obtained by the newspaper pointed to tougher measures at the next Cabinet meeting including the addition of two items, one blocking access to certain venues for those who remain unvaccinated and the other allowing teenagers to enter entertainment venues only if they are escorted by a vaccinated parent or legal guardian.

Health authorities went on high alert last week with two more cases of the Omicron variant being detected in the Republic of Cyprus over the weekend, with the health ministry saying they were connected to three other cases announced earlier in connection with a vocational school in Limassol following a trip abroad.

According to local media, measures to be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on Monday would include blocking unvaccinated persons from attending certain events such as weddings and christenings, while children aged between 12 and 17 would need a vaccinated parent or guardian to enter certain venues.

But proposed measures also call for mandatory self-isolation of vaccinated persons identified as close contacts of a confirmed case, who will then be released not simply after quarantine period but following a required PCR test with a negative result.