Officials nervous ahead of flu season

A recent climb in confirmed coronavirus cases, especially in Larnaca district, has prompted health officials to contemplate new tougher measures possibly across the island.

According to local media, members of the government’s COVID-19 task force held a pre-scheduled meeting online Tuesday where they discussed recent coronavirus hot spots, concluding that in many cases health protocols had been violated.

New infections in Larnaca included Nea Salamina football club where 20 players and support staff had been infected, with the majority of cases emerging after a failure to self-isolate.

Another chain of infection in Larnaca, involving the Kition diocese, has prompted health ministry officials to make an announcement calling on members of the public to contact authorities if they visited the church or had any contact with the football team.

“In an effort to ensure that all citizens who came in contact with virus carriers will be evaluated and lab tested, the Health Ministry is calling on all citizens who visited the church of the Kition diocese between 14 and 18 September or came into contact with a Nea Salamina confirmed cases but have not yet been notified by the tracking team, to call the calling centre at 1412 so that their contact situation can be assessed and a meeting to take a sample can be arranged,” the announcement said.

Media sources said municipal and state officials were assessing the Larnaca situation this week, with local measures not being ruled out if the situation deteriorates over the next few days. Additional reports said teachers and students have also tested positive for the virus, including a pupil attending a Special Education school.

According to Kathimerini Cyprus, health ministry sources say any new measures in Larnaca would most likely mirror those taken previously in Limassol.

But health expert Maria Koliou, an outspoken member of the coronavirus task force, told Kathimerini that stricter measures at the national level were not being ruled out in an effort to stop the spread and prevent other flares elsewhere on the island.

Health experts said decision makers were particularly nervous over the situation, given that the flu season was just around the corner.

Talk of nation-wide measures suggest they could last two to three weeks in order to halt the spread before winter.