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/lockdown-begins-amid-legal-challenges
The Republic of Cyprus entered a two-week lockdown on Monday, the start of the Holy Week for the Greek Orthodox community, with critics crying foul over some measures including proof of vaccination...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-scrambles-on-eve-of-third-lockdown
Cyprus' Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has announced a two-week lockdown starting Monday, including a revision for Holy Saturday midnight mass after Archbishop Chrysostomos cried foul over rules that were 'unacceptable'...
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/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/easter-relaxations-up-in-the-air
Member of government’s health advisory committee Professor Petros Karayiannis said it remains unclear whether any relaxations will be made over the Easter period, since daily new coronavirus cases have yet to stabilise....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/gradual-easing-of-measures-start-next-week
The President’s Cabinet approved a gradual lift of a partial lockdown starting on Monday, with the health minister saying the decision was designed to avoid making hasty moves...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cabinet-locked-into-partial-lockdown
A partial lockdown is expected to go into effect in the Republic of Cyprus some time after Friday, when the President’s Cabinet will decide on new measures to fight further spread of the coronavirus through the end of the month...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/churchgoers-verger-booked-after-jam-packed-epiphany-service
Police have booked nine churchgoers and the verger of the church who openly defied government coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday during the Epiphany service held by the controversial Morphou Bishop Neophytos, who has since the outbreak of the pandemic caused headaches to authorities by outspokenly refusing to comply with government restrictions....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/a-timeline-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-in-cyprus
The coronavirus pandemic in Cyprus, which kicked off mildly at first with double-digit daily new cases before the second wave sent the island into unprecedented terrain with hundreds of daily new cases and the healthcare system ready to give in at any given time, can be generally divided into four stages. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cabinet-narrowly-waters-down-measures
The President’s Cabinet has decided to extend measures throughout the winter holidays with only slight deviations on special days, noting recent developments did not allow a further lift of restrictions aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/paphos-mall-floods-with-shoppers-on-eve-of-shutdown
Paphos residents flocked to the city’s mall on Thursday to buy Christmas presents before malls islandwide shut their doors as part of the tougher measures that will come into effect on Friday to curb the rampant spread of the virus.
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https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/bishop-vows-to-keep-churches-open
The Bishop of Morphou says he will keep churches in his diocese open to the public, contrary to the latest government measures, with the Metropolitan adding he is ready to face trial in a court of law...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-brings-back-tough-measures
The Cypriot government on Wednesday announced additional measures to combat the spread of coronavirus, as Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said extending current measures through New Year’s Eve was necessary due to a worsening situation...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/eu-warns-against-easing-pandemic-containing-measures
As millions of European citizens gear up for the festive season, the European Union's executive commission urged member countries to keep strong anti-Covid-19 restrictions in place to avoid a post-holiday surge of coronavirus cases and deaths but stopped short of advising against travel....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/holy-synod-to-support-vaccine-but-maintains-holy-communion-stance
The Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus convened for an emergency meeting on Tuesday during which it was briefed by members of the government’s coronavirus expert task force on the coronavirus pandemic, with the Holy Synod concluding that it will support the vaccination of the public but refused to accept that the virus can be transmitted through the holy communion ritual....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-makes-last-ditch-effort-to-beat-virus
The latest measures against the spread of the coronavirus went into effect on Monday, including a night curfew across all districts, as calls for all citizens to be tested multiplied just before Christmas holidays...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/bishop-apologises-over-reporter-incident
Bishop Nikiforos of Kykkos, who told a reporter to “shut up” on Wednesday as cameras were rolling, has issued an apology, saying he regretted his behaviour, with the incident revealing tensions remain high over the Ukrainian issue...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/partial-lockdowns-on-limassol-paphos-migrant-camps
The health minister Constantinos Ioannou announced stricter measures late on Wednesday night, with restrictions to be even harsher in the Limassol and Paphos districts that have developed into the epicentres of the island’s recent pandemic flare-up....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-tightens-restrictions-imposes-11pm-curfew
In a national address on Wednesday night, the Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the government was obliged to take tough decisions for stricter measures as the island was no exception to Europe’s second coronavirus wave, before the health minister stepped in to outline the new measures that come into effect on Thursday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-tightens-restrictions-as-virus-flares
The health ministry tightened its grip on the island in a bid to slow down the recent extreme flare-up of the virus that has sent daily new cases into three-digit numbers....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/measures-imposed-on-larnaca-as-virus-flares
After the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the Larnaca district, where multiple chains of infection continue to grow daily, the health ministry on Wednesday re-imposed a number of localized restriction measures in a bid to tone down the spread....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/young-woman-dies-in-hospital-after-brutal-crash
A young local woman died in hospital over the weekend, ten days after a brutal car crash caused by an illegal overtake, with reports saying her organs have been donated to patients in Cyprus and Greece...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/student-s-letter-causes-media-storm
A student in Nicosia is taking social media by storm, after she wrote a letter criticizing school prayer and how religion is being taught in state schools in the Republic of Cyprus...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/hijab-and-kosher-end-up-in-report-on-cyprus
A State Department report has called out Cyprus on matters of religious freedom, following a number of stories in the media including the right to wear hijab in school, kosher laws, and access to religious sites...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/lockdown-defying-bishops-off-the-hook
Two local bishops who were facing charges in connection with violation of public health laws during the pandemic lockdown are off the hook, with state prosecution reportedly lacking clear and convincing evidence...
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/cyprus-starting-to-feel-normal-again
People in the Republic Cyprus woke up to a new reality on Thursday, as the second phase of relaxed restrictions and ongoing health protocols kicked in following positive news in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic...
