Officials told a news conference that so far 1,343 travellers from high-risk countries were examined at the Republic’s two airports.

An action plan has also been put in place and tested with the hospitalisation of eight suspicious incidents in the Nicosia and Limassol general hospitals, and Makarios hospital.

All incidents were negative.

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said Cyprus was following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) instructions to the letter and there was no need for panic.

“I want to assure you that the measures in place are not only compatible with the instructions of the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), but in many cases, there are stricter,” he said.

Ioannou reiterated a plea to people returning to Cyprus from countries with confirmed Covid-19 to follow the authorities’ instructions by placing themselves in quarantine.

He denied reports that measures at crossing points to the north were flawed. Since the measures were put in place, there have been reports of nurses not wearing protection or not taking the temperature of everyone coming through.

Ioannou said only people who say they have travelled to high-risk countries were checked and medical staff knew when to wear masks and gloves.

The minister urged the public to refrain from using the 1420 hotline to seek information and use it only if they had symptoms similar to those of the coronavirus.

Asked when a travel ban to high-risk countries was justified, paediatrician Zoi-Dorothea Pana said WHO and ECDC reviewed the list of countries on a daily basis and urged people to check with their websites.

Countries were ranked according to how high the risk was – Levels 1,2, or 3.

Please note that rankings can change on a daily basis

ECDC updates

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/current-risk-assessment-novel-coronavirus-situation

Source: Cyprus Mail