Police still busy as Cyprus relaxes further

Safe Pass in the Republic of Cyprus is not needed for outdoor venues including restaurants and coffee shops as of Monday, when new relaxation measures went into effect that also shortened a night curfew imposed amid the pandemic.

Further relaxations of measures aiming to contain the spread of COVID-19, which were decided by the Cabinet last Friday, went into effect on Monday with officials saying the country’s epidemiological situation has improved.

One of the new measures is the removal in outdoor dining of a SafePass requirement, also known as CoronaPass, which is the Cypriot government’s latest way to ascertain proof of immunity for individuals who wish to visit places where people congregate with some exceptions.

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that a drop in the positivity rate and a clear decrease in the number of patients in need of hospitalization in the last days “has made us optimistic.”

Ioannou said the drop was coupled with an increase in vaccinations against the novel coronavirus, adding that both developments combined have contributed to the improvement of the epidemiological situation.

But health measures remained in place including restrictions and conditions for unvaccinated people as well as guidelines and protocols for all citizens regardless of vaccination history.

Police issued dozens of fines over the weekend including citations for health protocol violations, such as people failing to follow social distancing rules, not wearing face masks, as well as crowding indoors and even dancing close to each other at a snack bar.