Coronavirus checks to begin at checkpoints

The Health Ministry is stepping up checks for the prevention of the spread of coronavirus by adding a new layer of protection at checkpoints.

People crossing  from the north to the government-controlled areas through the Green Line will be asked to complete a short questionnaire, which seeks to detect those persons who have travelled to China within the past fortnight, as well as those who have come in contact with either a confirmed or a suspected case of coronavirus.

An informative pamphlet will also be distributed at checkpoints, listing relevant contact details in case any person begins showing any worrying symptoms.

Officers securing the checkpoints are also in regular contact with the Health Ministry’s Epidemiological Observation Unit and the Ambulance Service, in case more specialised tests or guidance are required at any given moment.

Measures also being stepped up in the north

Thermal cameras have been installed in the airport in the north, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen reported.

Though thermal cameras were also installed in several checkpoints, they remain non-operational due to a lack of specialised personnel to work them. The daily noted that the Kyrenia and Famagusta ports also lack thermal cameras.

A quarantine room is also in the works in the neurological wing of the Nicosia hospital in the north, Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli said.