Many borrowers who opted to use a scheme suspending loan payments for nine months in a bid to cope with the financial fallout of the coronavirus were now restructuring them, it emerged on Friday.

Applications have opened for nine new incentive schemes aimed at promoting special interest tourism while enhancing sustainability, the deputy ministry of tourism said on Monday.

The opening on Monday of the retail trade sector after almost a month-long lockdown in Cyprus comes with big sales. And with shop-keepers already sending out thousands of electronic messages in a bid to lure clientele.

The Republic of Cyprus entered on Monday a second phase of relaxing lockdown measures for Covid-19, including the reopening of retail stores, shopping malls, and schools.

In view of Monday’s reopening of the retail trade and business sectors a total of 208,000 antigen rapid tests for the coronavirus were carried out in Cyprus between February 1-7.

Cyprus maintained its high ranking among EU member states in terms of coronavirus population testing, with the island counting 1.5 million tests conducted since the outbreak of the pandemic last March.

Producers of the traditional Cypriot cheese halloumi saw a reduction in the growth of their exports, with cancellation of orders and undelivered quantities, due to the new restrictive measures for COVID-19 in most European countries.

Cyprus has uses the second highest share of fossil fuels of all EU member states, Eurostat figures published on Thursday show.

With nearly one in five euros generated from the travel and tourism sectors, Cyprus is embarking on a general makeover, as well as an aggressive campaign to promote the island as a quality destination.

Discussions of the Cyprus proposals in the draft Plan of Recovery and Sustainability (European Recovery funding plan) are to begin on February 11, according to a press release from the finance ministry General Directorate of European Programs, Coordination and Development released on Thursday.