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1801. Main hospitals partially resume operations, blood banks low

The island’s two main hospitals partially resumed operations on Thursday when coronavirus cases rose to seven after a person who recently returned from the UK tested positive....

1802. All schools islandwide to close their doors on Friday

All schools islandwide will be shutting their doors as of Friday for one week, as per the decision taken on Wednesday by the Education Ministry in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak, as cases spiralled to six in government-controlled areas....

1803. Government to step in with financial injections

The Finance Minister is expected to announce a bundle of support measures for companies, consumers, and workers affected by the coronavirus outbreak on the island....

1804. Travel agents issue SOS as cancellations mount

Cancellations and minimal new bookings have brought travel agents to “the brink of disaster”, the President of the Cyprus Association of Travel Agents, Vasilis Stamataris, said in a press conference on Wednesday....

1805. Erdogan likens Greek authorities to Nazis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said there is “no difference” between Nazis and the Greek authorities trying to hold the country’s border against the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees spurred to push into the European Union by Ankara....

1806. All samples from hospital contacts of coronavirus carrying doctor negative

All 152 samples taken from the contacts of the 64-year-old state doctor who tested positive for coronavirus emerged negative for the virus, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday evening....

1807. Church services across the island suspended, President informs Archbishop

Church services are included in the list of public gatherings of over 75 people that are to be suspended as part of ramped-up coronavirus protection measures, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou confirmed on Tuesday....

1808. Nicosia schools temporarily closed as coronavirus measures stepped up

Schools across the Nicosia district were temporarily suspended on Tuesday, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced. ...

1809. Health Minister: Two test positive for coronavirus

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced on Monday that two out of the 50 tests conducted on suspected coronavirus carriers emerged positive for the virus, but urged the public not to panic and to follow personal hygiene guidelines....

1810. No coronavirus risk from holy communion, says Holy Synod

Amid fears of a broader coronavirus contagion across the country, the Holy Synod, the ruling body of the Greek Orthodox Church, on Monday issued a statement saying that the disease does not transmit through the distribution of holy communion by the chalice....

1811. Anastasiades dubs UNFICYP position 'unfortunate' intervention

President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday described the statement issued by UNFICYP as “unfortunate”, noting that such announcements go beyond its mission as a peacekeeping force....

1812. Official guidelines for people returning from high-risk countries

1813. Akinci tells UNFICYP head coronavirus has nothing to do with checkpoint closures

The Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met with UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar on Wednesday to discuss the move by the Greek Cypriot Government to shut four crossings along then UN-controlled Buffer Zone last week....

1814. Police presence to be boosted on roads to curb fatalities

The issue of serious and fatal road accidents was discussed on Wednesday in a broad meeting at the Presidential Palace, chaired by President Nicos Anastasiades, with the participation of all relevant Ministries and agencies....

1815. Syllouris and Mitsotakis agree on Greece-Cyprus mutual support

The mutual support between Greece and Cyprus is even more urgent in the current difficult period, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cyprus House President Demetris Syllouris agreed during their Athens meeting on Wednesday....

1816. Over 1300 coronavirus checks performed at airports

Personal hygiene and voluntary restriction of social activities are of the most effective shields against the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Wednesday in a press conference shared with several medical experts....

1817. Μeasures needed to curb flow of migrants through Green Line, Anastasiades tells Akinci

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades expressed grave concern about the “organised and increasing illegal flow of migrants through the Green Line” and told the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, that measures need to be taken. ...

1818. North to bar entry from 'high-risk' countries

The north will stop accepting people from countries deemed ‘high-risk’ due to the spread of coronavirus, the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Health agreed on Tuesday....

1819. President says increasing migrant flows from Turkey distorting demographic

President Nicos Anastasiades expressed concern over the flow of immigrants from Turkey, which he said is an attempt to distort the demographic character of Cyprus....

1820. Shutting checkpoints not part of the deal, Akinci says

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said that unilateral actions by either community for coronavirus protection, such as the closing of checkpoints, had not been agreed upon by the two leaders during the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Health meeting they co-chaired earlier in February, but stressed there is no need for panic....

1821. Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy assumes duties

Kyriacos Kokkinos officially assumed his duties on Friday as Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, a Ministry established as part of promoting the government’s digital agenda....

1822. Greek border crackdown amid concerns over Turkey

Greek government sources on Friday stressed that authorities are boosting security at the country’s border following reports that Turkey will no longer stop Syrian refugees from traveling to Europe....

1823. President offers Troodos vacation residence for coronavirus quarantine

State-owned properties in Troodos, including parts of the Presidential summer dwellings, will be provided to host suspected coronavirus carriers in quarantine....

1824. EU scrambling to contain COVID-19, calls for coordinated response

European Union countries should coordinate their responses to the outbreak of the coronavirus to avoid diverging approaches, the EU’s Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told reporters....

1825. Bulgaria wants in on EastMed energy cooperation

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Tuesday that his country wishes to cooperate within the framework of the trilateral mechanism among Cyprus, Greece, and Israel in the energy field, adding that Bulgaria is geographically a natural continuation of these three countries....

1826. Greek and French Defence Ministers declare united front

Greek and French Defence Ministers, Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Florence Parly, denounced Turkey’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean during their meeting in Athens on Monday....

1827. Woman in the north tests negative for coronavirus

Samples taken from a suspected coronavirus carrier in the north were sent to Turkey for examination, as per the request of the World Health Organization, Turkish Cypriot ‘Health Minister’ Ali Pilli said on Monday. The results came back negative, Turkish Cypriot media reported....

1828. InvestCyprus creates specialized unit to help achieve 2030 tourist targets

InvestCyprus, the island’s organization responsible for attracting foreign direct investment, announced the creation of a specialized unit in a bid to facilitate efforts to achieve Cyprus’ National Tourist Strategy for 2030, which aims at attracting 5 million tourists by 2030....

1829. Nicosia an extremely important partner in region, Norwegian FM says in Cyprus visit

Oslo views Cyprus as an extremely important partner in the region, due to its bridging role between Europe and the Near East, said Ine Soreide, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs....

1830. One in four in Cyprus at risk of poverty

Some 200,000 persons (23.9 per cent of the Cyprus population), or one in four, are at risk of poverty, participants of a two-day discussion in Nicosia organized by Cyprus and EU-wide anti-poverty networks heard....