More Cypriots quarantined in coronavirus scare

More women who traveled to Italy have been quarantined in Cyprus as a precautionary measure, assessed as high risk cases for the coronavirus after coming into contact with confirmed cases.

Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou wrote on Twitter Thursday morning that three individuals who had traveled to Italy were quarantined after it emerged that they had come into contact with confirmed coronavirus incidents.

The three women, who tested negative for the coronavirus, would remain isolated for 14 days in accordance to protocols for precautionary reasons, the minister added.

Reports on Wednesday said a woman in Paphos, who attended a conference in Italy a few days ago, notified authorities out of concern after learning from Italian sources that she had been in close proximity with at least one confirmed case. She was then admitted into Limassol General Hospital in a special isolated room.

In addition to high risk cases, a group of Erasmus students also returned to the island abruptly, after their host university was shut down.

Upon arriving to the island, the group’s chaperone spoke to reporters saying the teens did not want to come back, adding that there was more panic in Cyprus than in Milan.

None of the high school students exhibited any symptoms but their parents had been advised to take precautions, including self-quarantine for 14 days.

Last weekend, health officials quarantined another woman as a coronavirus high-risk case, after a private jet landed in Larnaca with reports saying a crew member had come into contact with Israel's first ever confirmed case.

Another young woman from Iran, who exhibited symptoms such as fever and coughing in the north, tested negative for the CoVid-19 according to Turkish Cypriot officials.

In the south, health officials were reportedly considering additional restrictive options in at least some checkpoints on the divided island, with government meetings on Thursday expected to spell out specific measures to overcome problems, including language and communication barriers between officers and non-English-speaking foreign visitors.