Two leaders to meet for coronavirus cooperation

President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will meet next Monday to discuss possible ways of cooperation in view of protecting the Cyprus population, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, from the coronavirus.

According to a press release issued by the Presidency, Anastasiades and Akinci talked over the phone earlier on Friday and agreed to meet next Monday evening, before a scheduled meeting of the bicommunal technical committee on Culture, to be held in their presence at Ledra Palace, in the UN-controlled buffer zone. They also agreed to convene the bicommunal technical committee on health issues.

On Friday, reports emerged signalling a possible incident of coronavirus in Cyprus, but these were quickly refuted by the Health Ministry.

Late Thursday night, the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus a global health emergency.

The emergency was accompanied by recommendations to all countries trying to prevent or reduce cross-border spread of the virus, calling on them to avoid exaggerating or taking unnecessary measures against trade and travel.

At least 213 people in the China have died from the virus, mostly in Hubei, with almost 10,000 cases nationally.

On Friday, the UK’s chief medical officer confirmed that Britain was treating its first two cases of coronavirus, with the carriers being members of the same family.

So far, the virus has spread to 18 more countries.