Police investigate Safe Pass knife incident

Police are investigating an incident in Limassol where the owner of a restaurant says he sustained knife injuries after a customer refused to show a Safe Pass document.

According to a complaint filed with police, an unknown male visited a dining venue in Yermasoyia, Limassol district on Friday night. The owner of the joint had an exchange with the customer who reportedly refused to show his Safe Pass document and was asked to leave the premises.

Local media suggested the man had placed a meal order and sat down at a table in the restaurant’s outdoor dining area, where the owner of the place approached him and asked him to show a Safe Pass.

The customer refused to show the Safe Pass document according to the complaint, with additional media saying the incident quickly escalated.

According to police, the complainant said the customer was holding a knife and he injured the owner on the left wrist before running away. 

Police did not provide details about the encounter but said the restaurant owner was treated at the Emergency Room at Limassol General Hospital, while reports said he later went to a private clinic.

It was not fully clear whether the knife belonged to the suspect or was part of the utensils on the dining table.

Police told Knews that investigators were expected to sift through any security camera footage that might be available from the area, adding that they had a description on the suspect.

Safe Pass and its implementation has been a controversial pandemic measure in the Republic of Cyprus, based on emergency law, with local media reporting on incidents of noncompliance, police encounters, as well as public protests and even violence associated with the restriction.

The measure requires people over the age of 12 to have in possession physical proof they have been vaccinated with at least one dose three weeks prior, tested negative for the coronavirus during a rapid or PCR test conducted in the last 72 hours, or officially cleared by state authorities no more than six months since the last time they tested positive for COVID.

An EU Digital COVID Certificate may also be used along with a Cyprus Flight Pass for foreign visitors, according to the latest decree issued by the health ministry.

But on Monday, Limassol municipality officials reacted to reports of local owners not allowing visitors if they had document proof other than Safe Pass. The city rushed to clarify the latest decree to point out to local owners that foreign guests were permitted by law to enter restricted establishments as long as they presented documents that were equivalent to Safe Pass, such as EUDCC or CFP.

The statement came after reports in Limassol about cruise passengers coming ashore and not being allowed to walk into shops or dine at restaurants around town due to having no Safe Pass to show at the door in order to gain access to those venues.

It was not clear whether the complaint about the knife incident was linked to those reports.