Cyprus will receive more than 120,000 Covid vaccines in March, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Nicosia will become the first smart city on the island, improving services and increasing sustainability, the municipality announced on Tuesday.

At -0.8% Cyprus had the third-lowest annual inflation rate in the European Union in January behind Greece (-2.4%), Slovenia (-0.9%), data showed on Tuesday.

Cypriot hoteliers were hopeful on Tuesday that tourism would slowly recover this year after tour operators in the UK reported a surge of around 600% in holiday bookings, with Cyprus among the top destinations.

Two Cypriot ministers have joined forces this week to call on the EU’s Competition commissioner to allow more state subsidies for airlines amid the pandemic, citing improvements in scheme criteria but also the remoteness of the island.

In response to the worldwide crew change crisis, the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry (SDM) has formally proposed a practical, global approach to delivering COVID-19 vaccinations to seafarers.

Recognised as the best country in Europe for handling the pandemic, Cyprus is pinning its economic recovery on expanding medical tourism and becoming a European hub for patients rehabilitating from surgery and illness.

Over the past two years Cyprus has been a net beneficiary of EU funds, while increasing its rate of absorption of the same, MPs heard on Monday.

Stakeholders of the Cyprus Research and Innovation ecosystem had the opportunity to gain a comprehensive view of Israel’s experience and expertise in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, through a series of digital lectures that took place in January – February.

Figures published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) covering the period up to February 14 placed Cyprus in second place among EU member states for the vaccination of groups aged over 80 years old.