Front Page Headlines
Extraordinary days
The government took a number of radical decisions against the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Schools have been closed until 22 March, all sports events and public gatherings have been cancelled. Citizens of many countries are barred from entering the country and two crossing points have been closed. President Mustafa Akıncı who presided over the Council of Ministers said, “I learned about the Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) and Akyar (Strovilia) crossing points from the announcement made.”There are ten confirmed cases in the south, two confirmed cases in the north, 12 cases in total.
- Number of crossings dropping! – 3800 on 9 March, 2900 10 March and 2200 on 11 March.
- Civil Aviation and TT Airport Services speak to Yenidüzen: “There are flights but a 65 per cent drop in passengers in the last three days.”
Serious measures against a serious threat
The Council of Ministers of the National Unity Party (UBP)-People’s Party (HP) coalition, for the first time, convened under the chairmanship of President Mustafa Akıncı. The cabinet in line with the UN Secretary-General’s and World Health Organisation’s recommendations implemented “radical and aggressive measures.”
- There are now two confirmed coronavirus cases in the TRNC – Husband of the German tourist, who is being treated now for coronavirus, has tested positive as well.
- They closed the crossings after me – President Mustafa Akıncı said the council’s decision to close the two crossing points was adopted after he had left the meeting.
- 10 coronavirus cases in the south.
- Bar Associations urge lawyers not to go to court until 22 March.
- TC Doctors’ association: “Protect yourself, and be considerate of others and be wise.”
Life comes to a halt
The measures implemented against the coronavirus, which the World Health Organisation has now classified as a “pandemic”, increased in the TRNC. Schools to remain closed until 22 March; all sports, cultural and social activities at schools suspended until 3 April, Akyar (Strovilia) and Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) crossing points closed until 22 March. The entry of foreigners from specified countries into the north prohibited. All festivals, theatres, and cinema and all sports events cancelled until 22 March. All the museums have been shut until 1 April. Conscripts’ off-days cancelled and civilians’ entry into military compounds stopped. Issuance of new work permits suspended until 22 March. Surgical gloves, medical masks, disinfectant gels, and alcohol has been taken under the list of controlled items to regulate the retail price.
- Germany did not want its citizens under quarantine – PM Ersin Tatar said Germany has agreed to take back its citizens only after the 14-day quarantine period ends. He also noted that police were looking for ten Turkish Cypriots who arrived in the north with the German tour-group.
This is cruelty not quarantine
Ali Erdura, manager of the Port View Hotel, which is under quarantine with 99 guests and 20 personnel in Famagusta, said they are made to suffer at the hotel. Erdura said not a single doctor, or a medical worker has visited the hotel since the lockdown. Erdura spoke to Havadis about the problems they are experiencing due to the quarantine.
- The situation is becoming more serious and so are the measures – The Council of Ministers, which convened under the chairmanship of President Mustafa Akıncı, adopted a new set of decisions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The situation is serious
The cardiovascular surgery department at the state hospital which was destroyed in a fire two weeks ago needs millions to become operational again. The government’s priority has shifted away from repairing the hospital to dealing with the coronavirus.
- Panic in the TRNC –The schools will remain closed until 22 March, citizens of several countries are barred from entering the country and the Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) and Akyar (Strovilia) crossings have been closed.
- Greek Cypriots are worried – Confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Cyprus has risen to ten.
- The number has risen to two –The husband of the German woman being treated for coronavirus has also tested positive.
- 14-day condition – German authorities do not accept the return of 141 of its citizens in quarantine in the TRNC.
Now we have become a real sheep’s pen
The Turkish Cypriot side has also started closing crossing points after the Greek Cypriot side. The Akyar (Strovilia) and Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) crossing points have been closed until further notice. As a result of the decision, only three of the nine crossing points remain open. The crossing points which remain open is Metehan (Agios Dhometios), Ledra Palace and Beyarmudu (Pergamos). The TRNC has also shut its borders to 23 countries.
- “The decision was taken after I left” – Akıncı said he did not find it right to shut the Akyar (Strovilia) and Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) crossing points.
- A second confirmed case in the TRNC –The number of confirmed cases in the TRNC has risen to two. According to the health ministry, the husband of the first coronavirus patient has also tested positive after coming down with a fever yesterday (Thursday).
Main News
TC cabinet takes additional measures, closes two crossing points
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The cabinet in the north decided on Thursday announced additional measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus including a decision to temporarily close the Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) and Akyar (Strovilia) crossing points.
In a statement later, Özersay said the Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) crossing point would remain open for ambulances as well as regular supply convoys to Erenköy (Kokkina) in line with earlier agreements.
The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus on Thursday said it had been informed about the decision to temporarily close two more crossing points as a safeguard against the further spread of the coronavirus in Cyprus.
The peacekeeping mission’s spokesperson, Aleem Siddique, recalled that on February 3, the two leaders met with the members of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health at the Ledra Palace Hotel to discuss preparedness measures for Covid-19.
“As the situation continues to evolve, we call on both sides to inform each other and to continue their close cooperation in addressing this new public health emergency. We stand ready to assist both sides in this respect,” he said.
President Mustafa Akıncı presided over Thursday’s extraordinary session to discuss additional measures against the spread of coronavirus.
The meeting was convened after the confirmed Covid-19 cases rose to six on Wednesday on the Greek Cypriot side.
Akıncı later said that he had learned about the government’s decision to temporarily close the Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) and Akyar (Strovilia) after he had left the meeting from Özersay’s press conference.
He added that he had stressed at the meeting, the necessity of increasing the controls at the crossing points but there was no decision for their closure.
He reiterated his position that the two communities must act together on what kind of precautions should be taken as regards the crossings on a scientific basis.
Akıncı reminded that the Turkish Cypriot side had argued following the Greek Cypriot side’s decision to close four of the crossings – Lokmacı (Ledra St), Bostancı (Astromeritis), Aplıç (Lefka) and Derinya (Dherynia) – that it was a unilateral move and that the bi-communal Technical Committee on Health, which continues its work according to scientific principles, was not aware of this decision.
“The repetition by our Council of Ministers of this attitude that we have rightly criticized has not been a correct development,” he said.
Akıncı added that it was necessary to cultivate a culture of working together.
“The single case in the north and the six cases in the south are of course new developments but the situation dictates that the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health has to increase its role. I would like to reiterate the importance of conducting efforts through joint decisions taken on a scientific basis,” he said
Akıncı added that the fight against the threat of coronavirus, which concerns all humanity, was a struggle that should be carried out outside of daily political conflicts.
UniteCyprusNow (UCN) on Thursday criticised the decision of the Turkish Cypriot authorities to close two crossing-points, stating it was is wrong and unjustified.
We are against all unilateral and arbitrary decisions that are taken without scientific justification and bicommunal cooperation. All air and seaports on the island are still open yet the authorities on both sides of the island are using fear instead of a reason to justify their attempts to deepen the physical and mental divide in our country,” a written statement by UCN read.
It said that cooperation was the only way to counter the threat of the virus and that what was needed to be done was to increase the level of cooperation, take appropriate measures at the crossings and work together in creating conditions to contain the threat for the well-being of all people on the island.
“We fully support all scientific and joint efforts to contain the virus. We are against unilateral and unjustified attempts to deepen the divide and hurt the organic life that has developed after the crossings started in 2003. We propose joint action and cooperation against this global pandemic that threatens all people living on this island. Crossing points are crucial especially for medical cooperation, emergencies and overcoming geographical obstacles by allowing access to medical facilities on both parts of the divide,” the statement read.
Respecting the constraints on public meetings, UCN added that it shall not hold any mass rallies of protest for the time being as announced earlier.
“However, we will continue to oppose any unreasonable measure that brings Cyprus closer to partition and away from a federal solution,” the statement concluded.
Turkish Cypriot Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Kudret Özersay who exited the meeting to announce the measures said that they were not declaring a state of emergency but that the measures were aimed at reducing the risk of the virus spreading.
He said that more measures could be announced after the end of the meeting.
Özersay also announced that citizens and travellers from 22 countries would be barred entry to the north from midnight Thursday until April 1.
The two crossings will close until March 22 when the measure will be reassessed.
The crossings at Metehan (Ayios Dhometios), Ledra Palace and Beyarmudu (Pergamos) will remain open, he said.
Özersay also announced that the schools including universities would remain closed until March 22.
The other measures announced on Thursday concern an entry ban to the north to citizens and travellers by road, sea and air from Italy, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, China, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, US, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Qatar, Bahrain and Australia.
Özersay explained that persons who have obtained a permit from the migration department will be able to travel to the north while those who are already there will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
He added that TRNC citizens returning from any of those countries will have to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival.
Özersay warned that there will be measures against those failing to observe this instruction.
These measures will be in place until April 1.
The process of obtaining new work permits for foreign nationals was stopped until March 22.
School activities have also been postponed until April 3, as well as all sports events, meetings at cinemas, theatres and arenas, where gatherings take place including concerts in casinos, until March 22.
Özersay also they would make announcements at a later stage as regards gatherings at worship areas.
He also explained that respiration masks, gloves and disinfectants have been declared as controlled products and everyone caught selling them expensively will be punished.
Later on Thursday, Özersay announced that the Turkish forces and the Turkish Cypriot Security Forces will also be implementing their own measures.
He said that weekend passes for the Turkish soldiers serving on the island have been cancelled and that civilians with special passes will not be able to enter military facilities or compounds until further notice.
Officers and non-commissioned officers will also not be allowed to travel abroad for a temporary period.
Health
checks will also be stepped up at all military facilities and barracks, he
said.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar on Thursday defended the measures in
place for the coronavirus.
Speaking to Bayrak, Tatar said that they were continuing to coordinate with Turkish officials on the needs of health facilities should a massive outbreak takes place in the north.
He said that the situation had changed after the confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the south had reached seven.
“What should we do now? We need to evaluate the situation carefully. The virus has an incubation period. We closed the Akyar (Strovilia) and Yeşilırmak (Limnitis) crossing point to protect the TRNC people. Traffic will be concentrated at three crossing points which will allow for more effective controls,” he added.
Regarding the tourists currently under quarantine at a hotel in Famagusta, Tatar said they had requested from the German embassy in the south to help facilitate their return to their country.
“The German tourists will be flown back to their country through an agreement reached on mutual understanding. They will need to be quarantined there as well,” he added.
In a related development, the Turkish Cypriot Health on Thursday announced a second confirmed Covid-19 case, the husband of the German tourist who was tested positive earlier this week.
The man had initially tested negative but after developing a fever, he was tested again and was found positive to Covid-19 on Thursday.
His wife, 65, tested positive last Tuesday.
They were on holiday in Famagusta.
The health ministry also said that there were currently no TRNC citizens who had tested positive for the virus.
In a related issue, the health ministry issued a statement on Thursday denying reports that two doctors who had travelled abroad recently had tested positive for Covid-19.
Head of the Turkish Cypriot Doctors’ Association Dr Özlem Gürkut said that tests carried out on both doctors following their return had turned out negative.
She added that the two doctors were currently self-isolating at home for 14 days.
In the meantime, authorities in the north continue to implement measures. Health crews from the Nicosia Turkish Municipality recorded the temperatures of 55 individuals over the age of 65 who benefit from the municipality’s elderly care programme.
German tourists to be sent back 14 days later
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
“The German authorities are not accepting the quarantined tourists, even though the tourists wish to return to their homes. We cannot even find a plane to send them back,” Prime Minister and the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) Ersin Tatar said on Thursday.
Speaking on a news programme on Bayrak, Tatar said the government was in contact with the German embassy in the south.
“It has been agreed that Germany will take its citizens when the quarantine period of 14 days is over,” Tatar added.
He also noted that there were ten Turkish Cypriots, who arrived with the same German tour group and the police are now trying to contact them.
Tatar reassured that the Turkish Cypriot authorities will continue to implement measures and will implement more should there be a need. Noting that there are confirmed two cases in the north, Tatar expressed hope that the number of confirmed cases will not increase.
Asked about the plane quarantined at Larnaca airport, he said there were ten Turkish Cypriots on board and added: “once they arrive in the north, they will be instructed to go under self-isolation.”
Tatar said that the council of ministers has also barred the entry of citizens into the TRNC from a number of countries but added that this restriction did not apply for Turkish Cypriots.
“There are no limitations on the entry of the Greek Cypriots in the north either,” he noted.
Tatar, when reminded about President Mustafa Akıncı’s criticisms on the closure of the two crossing points, said Mr Akıncı attended the meeting to share his views and expressed his sensitivities.
“Akıncı said he will respect any decision to be adopted by the cabinet and then left,” Tatar added.
Tatar rejected the claims the closure of the additional crossing points were retaliation to Greek Cypriot side’s decision to temporarily shut four crossing points.
“To the contrary, we are trying to implement measures for public health and we are not thinking of the elections,” Tatar noted.
Tatar, responding to a question, said the presidential elections could only be postponed if the council of ministers were to declare “state of emergency” which would require a simple majority of the parliament and final approval by the president.
“I can only hope it will not come to that,” he added.
Tatar also said that the impact of the coronavirus on the Turkish Cypriot economy is currently being calculated.
“As a result of the measures implemented, I hope the epidemic will not grow any bigger,” Tatar said and concluded by urging people to act responsibly and protect themselves.