Cyprus inching towards zero cases

Only one person tested positive for the coronavirus in Cyprus on Saturday, with both sides of the divided island flattening the curve of the pandemic and easing lockdown measures.

(Click here for an update to the story)

According to the Cyprus News Agency, one new case was detected in the Republic of Cyprus on Saturday with Greek Cypriot authorities conducting a total of 1978 tests.

This was the lowest number announced in the south since the beginning of the pandemic, with known confirmed cases reaching 882, while 108 have so far been found in the north and another 10 on British Bases.

Turkish Cypriot authorities also conducted 1988 diagnostic tests on Saturday with zero cases testing positive.

But according to CNA, officials in the north said four persons who had taken rapid tests were expected to take the polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) to confirm or deny the infection.

Authorities in the south clarified that Saturday’s results did not include cases using the contact tracing method, while health experts have recently stated that the infection rate in this catergory has dropped considerably.

Six patients remain on ventilators in hospitals, with five patients in critical but stable condition in the south and another patient hospitalized in the north.

Officials on the island said the low numbers were a positive sign in the battle against the pandemic, while health experts have called on authorities and the public not to let their guard down.