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1801. Cyprus begins to emerge from lockdown

Economic activity in Cyprus was set to resume on Monday during an initial phase of easing coronavirus lockdown measures, but business is not as usual as the president of the Republic is calling on citizens to behave responsibly...

1802. The four phases of Cyprus' lockdown exit roadmap

The Health Minister on Thursday gave a detailed overview of the four phases of Cyprus’ lockdown exit roadmap, which will be subject to adjustments based on how well the island responds to the gradual easing of restrictions....

1803. Lifting restrictions signal progress, but concerns high over relapse

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said Wednesday that with the island moving toward recovering from the coronavirus outbreak, the gradual lifting of measures set to begin next week is a testament of the progress being made, but it also a source of intense concern over a potential relapse....

1804. Anti-vaxxer arrested over threats against expert

A local man in Nicosia was arrested on Wednesday after renowned virology professor Leondios Kostrikis told police he had received threatening voice messages...

1805. Police take good news with grain of salt

Police in the Republic of Cyprus say they remain vigilant during the pandemic lockdown, concerned that signals for a possible lift of restrictive measures could make people feel less obligated to comply...

1806. Latest data pave way to ease virus curbs

The government of the Republic of Cyprus got thumbs up from local health experts, paving the way for administration officials to take decisions as early as next week to start loosening restriction measures...

1807. Health Minister hopes restrictions scrapped within three months

1808. Turkish secret services target Greek refugee camps

Turkey has been conducting secret missions in refugee camps and other places in Greece to gather information about critics of the Turkish government and supporters of self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who have taken refuge in Greece, according to a publication by the Nordic Monitor website. ...

1809. Seventy lockdown violations in 12 hours

Seventy people were fined in the last 12 hours for violating lockdown rules currently in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic...

1810. Cyprus shaken by loud Easter 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...

1811. EU says coronavirus tracking apps should avoid storing data on servers

Mobile apps to track coronavirus cases in Europe should keep as much data as possible on the user’s device rather than in a central server to best maintain individual privacy, an EU document says....

1812. Twitter unfreezes Chinese ambassador account

China's ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus was back online Wednesday night after Twitter unblocked his account following a two-day freeze...

1813. Police break up soccer match downtown

Four males from Cameroon were arrested on Tuesday in old Nicosia after police attempted to break up a soccer match, while two detainees were also accused of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest...

1814. 'We've learnt nothing' from euro crisis, ex EC president Juncker says

In an interview with Politico's Brussels Playbook, former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has expressed his disappointment over the discord that emerged between euro zone countries in their attempts to come up with a joint response to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. ...

1815. No SMS needed in 'dire necessity' situations

Interior Minister Nikos Nouris clarified this week that the limit of one text message per day for exception-based movements during the pandemic does not apply to situations where going out is absolutely necessary...

1816. To wear or not to wear

Recommendations on the use of face masks vary in the Republic of Cyprus, in the midst of a full-blown coronavirus pandemic, with members of the public essentially making that call based on the latest information they can find...

1817. Supreme Court: public sector pay cuts during financial crisis constitutional

The Cyprus Supreme Court on Friday overturned earlier rulings by the Administrative Court, finding that cuts made to public sector employees’ salaries and pensions during the economic crisis of 2013 were in accordance with the Constitution....

1818. Cyprus stays put beyond Easter

Church and state got behind scientists this week in the Republic of Cyprus, with the government extending measures beyond Easter to stop the spread of Covid-19 despite partial data suggesting a flattening of the curve...

1819. UNHCR steps in to ensure refugees in Cyprus receive proper protection

The UNHCR office in Cyprus has stressed that refugees must be included in the government’s planning and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, offering hands-on solutions to the myriad problems in the government’s handling of refugee and asylum procedures that have only been exacerbated by the current crisis....

1820. Cyprus in the mix as world seeks cure

An Israeli military aircraft has delivered five tons of chloroquine to Cyprus this week, amid reports of secret wars over limited access to the drug but also uncertainty over its effectiveness in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic...

1821. Cyprus mulls pushing back Easter celebrations

The President of the Republic of Cyprus is expected to call on the Archbishop to push back on Easter celebrations, as media sources say the government is likely to heed the advice of experts to extend coronavirus measures until the end of April...

1822. Cabinet to decide on additional measures on Wednesday

An inter-ministerial committee chaired by President Nicos Anastasiades that convened on Monday to evaluate the coronavirus protection measures currently in place decided to allow final decisions to be taken by Cabinet in its meeting on Wednesday....

1823. Euro zone ministers look for economy quick fixes

Euro zone finance ministers are likely to converge on Tuesday on three quick options to support the economy in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, officials have said, with some discussion also of longer-term ideas to aid a recovery....

1824. PHOTO GALLERY: Athens streets deserted during lockdown

Deserted squares, padlocked parks, empty avenues where lines of cars once idled bumper-to-bumper in traffic as motorbikes and scooters zoomed through the narrow gaps between. The Greek capital, Athens, like so many cities across the world, has seen its streets empty under a lockdown designed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus....

1825. Man breaks quarantine in search of meds

Health officials in Cyprus were perturbed over an incident when a self-quarantined man infected with the Covid-19 disease went out to local pharmacies in search of chloroquine, an existing drug that is still open to debate around the world...

1826. Greece's response to coronavirus working, Mitsotakis tells CNN

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the measures his government has taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus appear to be working and thanked the Greek people for their cooperation, conceding however that “the hard work is still ahead of us.”...

1827. Fight against pandemic hangs in the balance

Authorities in the Republic of Cyprus are closely monitoring the effectiveness of stricter measures against the spread of the coronavirus, with health experts saying more cases resulting from lack of social distancing are now starting to emerge...

1828. Good news for confined dog owners

Bummed dog owners in the Republic of Cyprus were relieved to hear on Tuesday that walking a family pet out in the neighbourhood would not count against a person’s limit of one outing per day under tighter coronavirus measures...

1829. Coronavirus death toll rises in Cyprus

One more coronavirus-related death was announced on Sunday in the Republic of Cyprus, as new confirmed cases are on the rise and health professionals begin to fear the worst...

1830. Police clamp down on unjustified movements

Police in the Republic of Cyprus have been checking motorists and pedestrians for possible curfew violations, with 123 individuals found to be in violation of a decree on movement restrictions on Wednesday...