Experts mulling over holiday period restrictions suggestions

Health experts are mulling over maintaining current restriction measures or making them even stricter, while the holiday period lenience that was initially announced could be scrapped if daily new cases remain at the current level.

According to the Cyprus News Agency on Monday, citing an informed source, the government’s health advisory committee are monitoring the coronavirus situation in order to draw up appropriate suggestions for President Nicos Anastasiades, ahead of the expiration of a number of measures in place on December 13.

If the situation remains in its current state of three-digit daily new cases and climbing numbers of hospital admissions until Friday, it will be highly unlikely that measures will be relaxed, the source said.

Announcing the current restriction measures late last month, health minister Constantinos Ioannou said that despite the stricter measures, such as an earlier curfew, leniency may be provided for Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve if the epidemiological situation allows, such as a later curfew, larger gatherings, and a later closing times for restaurants and bars.

Experts are set to examine epidemiological data on Wednesday, and draw up their suggestions on the way forward.