Cyprus confirms three new coronavirus cases, total hikes to 10

The Republic of Cyprus saw three additional confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday evening, raising the total to 10. A second COVID-19 case was also confirmed in the north earlier in the day.

One of the new confirmed cases involves a person who had recently returned from Italy and who was admitted for treatment on Wednesday at the Limassol General Hospital after showing mild symptoms.

The person is expected to be transferred to the Famagusta General Hospital, the designated hospital to deal exclusively with coronavirus cases in the event of a widespread outbreak.

A second person who tested positive for the virus on Thursday had presented mild symptoms shortly after returning from Greece, and will remain in self-isolation at home.

The third person who raised the island’s coronavirus cases to 10 on Thursday had recently returned from Germany and will also remain in self-isolation. Strikingly, the person does not show any of the virus’ symptoms.

As with all confirmed cases so far, the Health Ministry launched contact tracing efforts to ascertain whether the cases had infected any additional persons.

Coronavirus cases in the north rise to two

The number of confirmed cases was also on the rise in the north on Thursday, after the husband of the 65-year-old woman who first tested positive for the virus was also found to be infected.

The man had been placed in isolation in the north Nicosia public hospital once his wife, a 65-year-old German national who had visited the island for a vacation, was confirmed as a coronavirus carrier on Monday.

According to the Turkish Cypriot Health Ministry, several tests had been conducted on the man while in isolation, which all came out negative.

On Thursday, he began showing symptoms of high fever and was tested anew for the virus, with results confirming he had been infected.

The couple were part of a group of some 30 tourists from Balingen who landing at Ercan airport in north Nicosia on Sunday evening and took a tour bus to Famagusta where they checked in at a local hotel on the eastern coast.

China to offer helping hand

A tweet by the Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus, Huang Xingyuan, said China was ready to assist the island in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

"The Chinese Embassy has mobilized all possible resources including the Chinese companies and communities in Cyprus to collect materials across China for most relevant purposes," Xingyuan said.

As a longstanding friend and partner, #China is ready to assist #Cyprus in its fight against COVID-19. The Chinese Embassy has mobilized all possible resources including the Chinese companies and communities in Cyprus to collect materials across China for most relevant purposes. pic.twitter.com/Py9CDRF0AF

— Huang Xingyuan (@AmbassadorHuang) March 12, 2020