Cypriot court says unvax ban serves common good

Α Nicosia district judge sided with the government on banning unvaccinated persons in restricted venues, saying the decision was for the common good and based on science.

According to local media, dozens of plaintiffs had joined a class action lawsuit challenging an emergency law that excluded unvaccinated persons from gaining access to several venues by use of a negative COVID-19 rapid test result.

The bench sided with the state’s attorneys who argued the health restrictions were aimed at “protecting all citizens as a top priority.”

“A small number of people choosing not to comply with the rules does not justify putting at risk the health of the rest of the population,” the judge said.

The plaintiffs had previously argued that unvaccinated persons were being singled out by the government, saying their rights and freedoms were being violated.

Local media said the judge went on to say that current restrictions were based on recommendations by international organizations as well as a team of experts who have been advising the Cypriot government on temporary measures.

“The impact of the measure does not only concern the plaintiffs and the alleged violation of their rights or interests but it also has a direct effect on the rights of the rest of the population, such as the consequences of being late in detecting a COVID-19 infection or failure to trace close contacts of known cases, and as a result this can cause the spread of the virus to get out of hand in the general population,” the court found.

But scientists are divided on measures

It was understood that the plaintiffs were not allowed to call as witnesses any experts serving on an advisory committee for the government.

Previous reports said some members had broken ranks with fellow scientists over the measure, pointing out instead that restrictions ought to have been focused on other means of assessing transmissibility risks that affected both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons.

The court ruled against the plaintiffs while also siding with the state on procedural matters as well, saying the plaintiffs had no right to join a class action in the case.

Local media said the judge ordered the plaintiffs to pay for court expenses.