https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/all-eyes-on-positivity-rate-this-week
The positivity rate in the Republic of Cyprus registered a drop to just below 1% at the end of the holiday weekend, but officials say it is too early to know whether lockdown measures have been effective during Holy Week...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-under-siege-as-it-celebrates-easter
Towns across the Republic of Cyprus were overrun with anarchists on Holy Saturday, when street fires and loud explosions dominated urban areas late into the night amid pandemic lockdown and midnight mass...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/teens-wreak-havoc-on-holy-thursday
Four teenagers were arrested on Friday morning in connection with a group delinquency incident in Limassol, where youths started fires near a local church and then attacked fire fighters and police officers who rushed to the scene...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/sms-not-needed-for-holy-week-churchgoers
Eastern Orthodox churchgoers in the Republic of Cyprus no longer need to send an SMS before attending service during Holy Week, based on an FAQ issued by the government on Monday revising and clarifying the latest lockdown measures...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cabinet-decides-lockdown-after-golgotha-meeting
After a tough debate amongst ministers over how the government ought to respond to a deteriorating pandemic situation, a proposal for a short and partial lockdown was approved at the last minute after the Cypriot health minister ascended his Calvary to secure a lockdown ahead of Orthodox Holy Week...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cabinet-split-as-measures-gain-on-lockdown
The Cabinet is set to announce later on Friday a new set of measures to curb the COVID-19 spread in the community, as daily cases continue to rise with a situation in hospitals extremely alarming...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/decisions-on-hold-as-palace-summons-experts
The President’s Cabinet failed to reach a decision on pandemic measures following intense debate on Thursday afternoon, with reports saying an announcement was pushed back a day to give health experts time to visit the Palace for more consultations...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/holy-moly-ahead-of-holy-week-decision
The President’s Cabinet is expected on Thursday to announce a way forward ahead of Greek Orthodox Holy Week, with the health minister not favoring tougher pandemic measures but also warning a lockdown was not off the table...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/experts-tell-government-not-to-relax-this-easter
Cyprus registered a record number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, reaching 941 and the numbers are only expected to increase, according to a local health expert...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-tackles-russian-question-as-time-flies
Thousands of cancelations from Russia to Cyprus in just a matter of hours are testing the island’s response to the health crisis, with companies pushing their programs later in the summer pending improvement on the pandemic front...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greek-easter-relaxation-hopes-put-to-rest
Cyprus’ current epidemiological situation is behind the government’s latest decision to freeze possible relaxation of restrictions ahead of Greek Orthodox Easter, with the administration focusing on vaccinations but also not ruling out further measures...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/minister-says-cyprus-facing-‘fragile-situation
Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou is urging people to comply with health measures, saying the epidemiological outlook in the country remains fragile and the situation could get out of control...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-moves-forward-with-more-relaxations
Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has announced a new set of relaxation of measures for April, including an increase in the number of permitted outings for legitimatize purposes but only on the weekend...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-hopes-for-breather-on-green-monday
People in Cyprus are hoping to catch a break on Green Monday, with the government easing restrictions on nature outings on the public holiday and forecasters unsure if weather will cooperate...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/guterres-reassures-cyprus-un-ambassador
Secretary General Antonio Guterres has told the new Cypriot UN Ambassador that the international organization and himself personally are “committed” to Cyprus and its people, reiterating his intention to convene an informal 5+1 sitdown soon...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/dendias-lavrov-discuss-cyprus-in-athens-meeting
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Athens on Monday, at the start of the foreign official's visit to the Greek capital....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greek-pm-says-greece-ready-for-any-challenge
Amid renewed tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed on Wednesday that Greece “will face all challenges with consistency, stability, confidence and always with a commitment to international law, as it always does.”...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/communion-ritual-unchanged-in-orthodox-church-despite-virus
One by one, the children and adults line up for the centuries-old ritual of Holy Communion, trying to keep a proper social distance. The priest dips a spoon into the chalice of bread and wine, which the faithful believe is the body and blood of Christ, and puts it into the mouth of the first person in line....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/youth-who-lost-fingers-speaks-out
A teenager, who blew off three of his fingers after a firework tube exploded in his hand, took to social media to warn his peers against the use of illegal pyrotechnics...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/police-enlist-drones-in-easter-gatherings-clamp-down-video
Police conducted 3,269 checks and booked 119 pedestrians and drivers in violation of restriction measures in just 12 hours, between 6pm on Sunday and 6am on Monday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-virus-cases-drop-to-single-digits
The number of new confirmed Covid-19 cases in Cyprus has dropped to single digits, following a long-drawn effort by authorities on the island to flatten the curve, but results won't be fully known before the month is over....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/nicosia-brought-to-its-knees-by-fireworks
Nicosia was shaken by non-stop fireworks and police sirens on Holy Saturday, as Greek Orthodox Christians observed the first celebration of Easter at midnight amid a pandemic lockdown...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/lockdown-weighs-heavily-on-orthodox-christians-during-easter
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/police-seize-scrap-wood-for-easter-bonfires
Local crews in Nicosia’s Strovolos municipality have been busy removing scrap wood stashed away in abandoned buildings in an effort to crack down on illegal lambradjia bonfires on upcoming Holy Saturday...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/president-mistakes-complacency-over-easter-will-mean-restrictions-drag-on
Addressing the nation anew on Thursday, President Nicos Anastasiades said that this weekend, which marks the Greek Orthodox Easter, will test the island’s population but stressed the need for absolute compliance with restriction measures so that it can remain feasible to begin a gradual lifting of the measures as soon as possible....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/president-to-address-nation-thursday-evening
President Nicos Anastasiades will be addressing the nation anew on Thursday at 6.15pm....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greece-to-move-over-2-300-refugees-to-mainland-after-easter
Greek authorities will begin the gradual transfer of 2,380 asylum seekers and their families from island camps to accommodation facilities on the mainland after Orthodox Easter (April 19), the country’s Migration Ministry said Thursday.
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https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/believers-use-side-door-to-attend-church
A video posted on YouTube Thursday morning showed Easter worshippers using a service door at a church in Latchia, despite access prohibited due to a lockdown during the pandemic...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/three-movements-per-day-possibly-the-first-move-in-lockdown-exit-strategy
The expert group of scientists consulting the government in its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus will be convening on Friday to map out Cyprus’ gradual lockdown exit strategy....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cops-won-t-mess-around-during-holy-week
Law enforcement officials have announced they will step up patrols throughout the holy week, leading to the Greek orthodox Easter on April 19, singling out delinquent teens while giving a heads up to groups of foreign nationals...