COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
(Redirected from 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Cyprus)
| COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Cyprus |
| Index case | Limassol and Nicosia |
| Arrival date | 9 March 2020 (4 years, 8 months and 3 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 708,580[1][2] |
| Recovered | 657,086[2] |
Deaths | 1,492[1][2] |
| Fatality rate | 0.21% |
| Government website | |
| covid19 | |
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Cyprus on 9 March 2020. Data released by the Cypriot government includes cases in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, but does not include cases in Northern Cyprus due to the long-running Cyprus dispute.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[3][4] The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak,[5][6] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[5][7] In 2021, Cyprus was leading in investment for software and data, following adoption of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9]
Timeline
2020
- On 9 March, Cyprus confirmed its first two cases: a 25-year-old man from Limassol who had returned from Italy and a 64-year-old heart surgeon from Nicosia who had returned from a medical convention in England and had been treating patients while infected.[10]
- On 11 March, Cyprus confirmed four more cases: two people who returned from England the day before and one taxi driver from Paphos, whose grandson was also hospitalised. All three men were taken to Famagusta General Hospital. The fourth case was in self-isolation at home.[11]
- On 12 March, four new cases were confirmed: a person who had returned from the United Kingdom and contacted the authorities after developing symptoms, a person who had returned from Italy, a person with symptoms after returning from Greece, and a person returning from Germany with no symptoms.[12]
- On 21 March, the first death was confirmed.[13][14]
- On 22 April, one death, one recovery, and six new cases were confirmed.[15]
- On 23 April, one recovery and five new cases were confirmed.[16] A total of 148 people had recovered at the time, according to the Ministry of Health.[17]
- On 30 April, seven new cases were confirmed.[18] According to the Ministry of Health, a total of 296 people recovered.[19]
- In early May, Cypriot citizens and legal residents of Cyprus who were in the UK during the first lockdown were given the option of boarding government-arranged repatriation flights back to the island from various UK airports.[20] Those re-entering the country were required to spend two weeks in quarantine at certain hotels which had been designated and funded by the government, primarily in Paphos and Ayia Napa.[20]
- On 16 May, a few days after some students had returned to school as part of the easing of restrictions, four new cases were confirmed in students and staff members.[21]
- On 21 May, the lockdown ended and repatriation flights continued, with a new rule stating that those coming back to the country no longer had to quarantine upon arrival. The government also announced that airports would fully reopen on 9 June, although some flights from countries heavily affected by the virus (such as the UK and Russia, the two biggest sources of tourism income in Cyprus) would not be permitted until further notice.[22]
- On 27 November, amidst a rapidly increasing rate of daily new cases, another partial lockdown was announced from 30 November to 14 December.[23]
- On 9 December, it was revealed that the partial lockdown had failed to curb the rise of infections and deaths, with 7 December recording the highest daily number of deaths since the pandemic began; it was then announced that all restaurants, bars, cafes, shopping malls, schools, and churches would be closed from 11–31 December.[24]
- On 25 December, Dr. Petros Karayiannis, a professor of microbiology and molecular virology at the University of Nicosia, urged people to trust the science behind the newly available vaccines and dismissed the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding them.[25]
2021
- On 10 January, a new full lockdown—the country's second since the start of the pandemic—began and was scheduled to last until 31 January.[26] Dr. Karayiannis cited a full lockdown as the only way to curb the spread of the virus and said that a rise in cases should be expected (stemming from the Christmas period) before the numbers start to come down.[27]
- On 1 February, the January lockdown was extended while shops and barbers were allowed to reopen under strict guidelines. Measures re-implemented from the first lockdown included a night-time curfew, no more than two people from the same household leaving their home, a requirement to send text messages to a special phone number to get permission before going out, and a maximum limit of three hours outside.[28]
- On 14 February, it was announced that an agreement had been reached between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel to allow people from each country to move freely between them without quarantining from April 1, as long as they can prove that they were fully vaccinated at least one week before travelling and agree to random tests upon arrival.[29]
- On 1 March, one death and 288 new cases were confirmed. Restrictions began to be loosened despite a spike in infections which brought the total number of cases to 35,297. The measures included the re-opening of schools, gyms, sports facilities for Third Division football teams, and nature trails for exercise purposes. The decision was made to continue easing restrictions due to the vaccination program rolling out and the advice of health experts, who said hospitals on the island were "stable and not overburdened".[30]
- On 5 March, deputy tourism minister Savvas Perdios announced that Cyprus would allow tourists from the UK into the country from May 1 as long as they prove that they were fully vaccinated at least one week before travelling and agree to random tests upon arrival, despite the UK government's current plan preventing foreign travel for its citizens until May 17.[31]
- On 12 March, two deaths and 383 new cases were confirmed.[32] Despite this, health minister Konstantinos Ioannou announced that restaurants will reopen on 16 March but will only be able to seat customers in outdoor areas, while the start time for the nightly curfew will change from 9 pm to 11 pm.[33] Dr. Constantinos Tsioutis, the assistant professor of internal medicine & infection prevention and control at the European University Cyprus, held a press conference alongside three other doctors to say that the recent rise in the number of hospital admissions is "worrisome" and that "a plan is in place" to supply extra hospital beds if necessary.[34]
- On 14 March, two deaths and 374 new cases were confirmed.[35] This day also saw Cypriots gathering to celebrate the annual Limassol Carnival Festival, despite it being cancelled, as they were allowed to have a "mini parade" in which they remained in their cars and followed the route that the parade would usually take.[36] Later in the day, more people arrived and the event turned into a street party, with most attendees ignoring social distancing rules and not wearing masks.[37] Police eventually intervened.[38] Limassol mayor Nicos Nicolaides said that he was "saddened and disappointed" by the behaviour of the attendees.[38][39] 28 people and two businesses were fined by police.[38]
- On 16 March, the ministry of health introduced new rules for the recently re-opened restaurants and cafés, stating that customers have to wear their masks between bites of food and that live performances of Greek music which might make people dance were banned; later that day, they reversed these new rules after a backlash from people deeming them "silly and unenforceable".[40]
- On 18 March, it was revealed that pandemic-induced travel restrictions had caused the island to receive only 4.8% of the tourist numbers it usually sees in February.[41]
- On 20 March, the ministry of health announced that the Alpha variant of the virus was "more widespread than ever" in Cyprus, appearing in all 45 positive samples that were sent off for examination.[42]
- On 23 March, it was revealed that 2020 had seen the island receiving only 15% of its usual yearly tourist numbers.[43]
- On 12 April, the ministry of health announced that Cyprus ranked first in the EU in terms of how many COVID-19 tests were being carried out, had the second lowest rate of positive cases in the EU, and one of the lowest mortality rates in the EU.[44]
- On 13 April, it was revealed that people in Cyprus were becoming more "reluctant" to take a COVID-19 vaccine, causing concern about a delay in the national vaccination programme; of the 7,500 available vaccination appointments in one unnamed area, less than 1,500 were taken.[45] Later that day, it was announced that police had issued 163 fines in the past 24 hours to people breaching pandemic restrictions.[46]
- On 26 April, total cases had surpassed 60,000; the country's fourth lockdown thus began in an attempt to combat a spike in infections, and ended on May 9.[47] The day before the lockdown began, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation building in Nicosia.[48]
- On 20 May, the ministry of health was put on alert when cases of both the Beta and Delta variants of the virus were discovered in the country.[49]
- On 21 May, it was announced that 47% of the population had received their first dose of the vaccine, while 17% had received their second dose and were thus fully vaccinated.[50]
- On 4 June, the number of total cases had risen to 72,709.[51]
- On 19 September, the number of total cases had risen to 118,957, while total deaths amounted to 534 with a total of 90,755 recoveries.[52]
- On 7 October, health minister Michalis Hadjipantelas announced that "small relaxations" of COVID measures will be implemented the following day; these include allowing unvaccinated people to enter stadiums, cinemas, and theatres if they can provide proof of a negative PCR test. He also said that they are set to approve an increase in the number of individuals allowed in indoor and outdoor spaces.[53]
2022
- On 27 May, two deaths and 1,774 new cases were confirmed.[54]
- On 28 October, three deaths and 2,821 new cases were confirmed.[55]
Impact
Despite pressure from local businesses, health minister Constantinos Ioannou said in July 2020 that Cyprus would not lift entry restrictions on its largest tourism markets (namely the United Kingdom and Russia) unless it were safe to do because these countries had some of the highest rates of the virus in the world at that time. He said that it would not be possible to implement mass testing to screen all passengers from high-risk countries upon their arrival in Cyprus because quarantine facilities and hospitals would not be able to accommodate the expected number of infected people. By late July, Cyprus had reported that most of the new cases on the island had come from travellers. Estimates for August tourist arrivals were 18% of the previous year's arrivals.[56]
To determine whether arrivals from certain countries would be quarantined or otherwise restricted upon entry to Cyprus, the country assessed the Schengen Area and other countries based on factors such as the number of new diagnoses and mortality rates per 100,000 inhabitants. The Category A countries were considered low risk; arrivals from Category A countries, including some non-European countries like Canada, Japan, and South Korea, did not have any restrictions placed on their entry. Category B countries were considered less certain than Category A and included France, Italy, and Spain. Passengers arriving from Category B countries were required to undergo a health examination upon arrival and self-quarantine until the results returned. The Category B restrictions also applied to citizens and legal residents of Cyprus. Category C countries were considered an increased risk and entry was restricted unless certain conditions were met; arrivals could take a COVID-19 test upon arrival or present an RT-PCR certificate, which would prove negative test results within the 72 hours before their arrival.[22]
Statistics
Total confirmed cases, recoveries, and deaths
Total confirmed cases Total recoveries Total deaths
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
New cases per day
New cases per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Total deaths
Total deaths
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Deaths per day
Deaths per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See also
- COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Cyprus
- COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
References
- ^ a b Mathieu, Edouard; Ritchie, Hannah; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Dattani, Saloni; Beltekian, Diana; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Roser, Max (2020–2024). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "Live updates via Worldometer".
- ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Bank, European Investment (5 May 2022). Digitalisation in Europe 2021-2022: Evidence from the EIB Investment Survey. European Investment Bank. ISBN 978-92-861-5233-7.
- ^ "Home". www.oecd-ilibrary.org. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Michael, Peter (9 March 2020). "BREAKING NEWS: Two cases of coronavirus confirmed". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Shkurko, Jonathan (12 March 2020). "The three men taken to Famagusta hospital 'are doing well'". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "New case of Covid-19 detected". Cyprus Mail. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "Cyprus reports its first coronavirus death - health ministry". Reuters. 21 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Michael, Peter (21 March 2020). "Nine new confirmed cases, one a nurse from Paphos hospital". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ "6 new cases of coronavirus and one Death". Daily Cyprus News. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Five new cases of Coronavirus". Daily Cyprus News. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "The Updated Statistics of the Coronavirus Growth in Cyprus". REPORTER. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Seven new confirmed cases". REPORTER. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Moving on to the next phase - The statistics". REPORTER. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ a b "connect2cy - Online platform for registration of Cypriot citizens overseas". connect2cy. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Four new Covid-19 cases; from student and staff". Daily Cyprus. 16 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Cyprus Publishes New Categorization of Countries Based COVID-19 Situation". SchengenVisaInfo.com. 21 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ fm (27 November 2020). "COVID19: Cyprus gambles on 'lockdown light'". Financial Mirror. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ fm (9 December 2020). "COVID19: Cyprus closes for Christmas". Financial Mirror. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Dr. Karayiannis: Vaccination best thing at this moment". in-cyprus.philenews.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Cyprus enters lockdown, sending text messages a must to move around". in-cyprus. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Shkurko, Jonathan (11 January 2021). "Coronavirus: Expert sees drop in cases in 'third week' of lockdown | Cyprus Mail". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Retail trade sector opens after covid lockdown under strict monitoring, KEVE warns". in-cyprus. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Post-Covid tourism hopes buoyed by deal between Greece, Cyprus and Israel". TheGuardian.com. 15 February 2021. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "No brakes on gradual easing in Cyprus of covid-19 restrictions under consideration".
- ^ "Cyprus to let in Brits with COVID vaccine from May 1". Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "383 new cases of COVID-19, two deaths announced on Friday". Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "What is now valid for restaurants, education, curfew".
- ^ "Rising number of patients in hospitals worrisome says scientific committee". Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "MoH announces two deaths, 374 Covid cases on Sunday". Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Limassolians take to the streets in cars to celebrate Carnival (Video)". Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Concerns that Limassol Carnival celebrations are spiraling out of control (Video)". Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "UPDATE-40 citizens, 2 businesses booked for Limassol Old Port Carnival gathering". Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Nicos Nicolaides on Twitter: "Τα σημερινά συμβάντα σε καμιά περίπτωση δεν αντιπροσωπεύουν τη συντριπτική πλειοψηφία των Λεμεσιανών. Εκφράζω τη λύπη και την απογοήτευση μου για αυτές τις συμπεριφορές."". Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Some measures altered after restaurant rules deemed 'silly' and unworkable (Update 2) | Cyprus Mail". 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Tourist arrivals in Cyprus down 95.2% in February due to the pandemic". Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "COVID19: UK variant rampant in Cyprus". 18 March 2021. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "COVID19: Cyprus tourism nightmare if UK bans summer travel". 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Cyprus ranks 1st in EU regarding COVID tests, has 2nd lowest positivity rate". Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Cypriots reluctant to respond to the call for Covid-19 vaccination". Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Police issue 163 fines in 24 hours for breach of Covid-19 measures". Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Cyprus goes into two-week lockdown to try to reverse a spike in infections". Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "Hundreds protest latest lockdown outside police headquarters". Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "Health Ministry on alert after first Indian variant of Covid-19 detected in Cyprus". Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Almost half of the population in Cyprus vaccinated". Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "83 new cases of COVID-19, one death on Friday".
- ^ "94 new cases of COVID-19, no deaths on Sunday".
- ^ "Health Minister announces small relaxations regarding Covid-19 measures".
- ^ "Two deaths from covid-19 and 1,774 cases from last week". Daily Cyprus. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Three deaths, 2,821 new COVID-19 infections this week". 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Cypriot health minister says opening unsafe tourist markets not possible - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
.svg){kind=small}
