Front Page Headlines
Municipalities take the burden
Local administrations take the lead in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The municipalities which are said to be bankrupt are doing their utmost to provide all kinds of services.
- Three new cases in the north, one a seven-year-old. 20 cases in the south, one death.
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The loss is great
The entire order in the north has turned upside down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Not only has the country entered into an economic deadlock with thousands of people unemployed and unpaid or unable to put food on the table. The number of those in need of assistance is growing by the day. A “Food Assistance Coordination Centre” has been established under the prime minister’s office to better coordinate the assistance provided to people in need.
- They throw their masks and gloves on the ground – People who use masks and gloves when going into supermarkets, unfortunately, they don’t show the same sensitivity when they leave.
- Three new cases in the TRNC – There is a seven-year-old one among them.
- 12th death in the south from the virus.
- “Robin Hood” of the old town of Nicosia helps in the name of his deceased father – The unidentified man, who is helping those in need by paying their debts at supermarkets, is being assisted by the Ayyıldız Street mukhtar Ayla Talik Dağgül. The mukhtar said the Good Samaritan is helping the people in the name of his late father, who passed away 40 days ago.
- Physically disabled people can barely make both ends meet – Hüseyin Suay, head of the Solidarity Association for the Physically Disabled, said its members are experiencing severe economic problems due to the crisis caused by coronavirus.
- Lefke (Lefka) adopts its own measures – Lefke (Lefka) Mayor, 13 mukhtars and the representatives of the civil society organisations have decided to establish controls upon entry and exit into the town.
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Nothing will be the same
Prime Minister Ersin Tatar who spoke to Diyalog said that some businesses could open as of May but warned that nothing will be as it used to. Tatar said that some sectors, such as the construction sector could resume activities as of May on the condition that the public continues to abide by the measures in place, the current trend regarding cases continues and the health care experts give the go-ahead. Regarding the public’s complaints about prices at supermarkets, Tatar said, “now is not the time to profit but the time to stay afloat. He added that there will be two charter flights from the UK to the TRNC on 7 and 8 April, but these will be the last flights to repatriate citizens.
- Seven patients discharged – Number of coronavirus cases in the north rose to 91 with three new cases.
- Death toll reaches 12 – Number of cases in the south rose to 446 with 20 new cases.
- Loss of life 574 – The total number of cases in Turkey jumped to 27,069 with 3,135 new cases.
- April will be worse – Greek Cypriot Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides said, “The current economic conditions are no different from war-time conditions.”
Three positive cases in River Side (Hotel)
2785 tests administered in the north to date. 91 cases identified and two died. Health Minister Ali Pilli said the three positive cases have been confirmed among the students repatriated with two charter flights from the UK and who were in quarantine at three hotels. He said the positive cases were found at the River Side Hotel and the 14-day long quarantine period, which was up on Sunday, is extended by one more day.
- And one more death – 20 new cases in the south. The number of confirmed cases reaches 446. 18 of the 20 cases announced had been in contact with the previously confirmed cases.
- Two more charter flights to the north from the UK – Two new flights have been arranged to repatriate the Turkish Cypriots on 7 and 8 April.
- Vehicle registration and post office will not be opened – The opening of the two departments postponed when preparations for the public’s health safety could not be finalised on time.
- 64,000 people lost their lives in the world due to coronavirus.
Main News
Three new cases including a seven-year-old
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Three Turkish Cypriot students who were in quarantine in the north after being repatriated have tested positive for coronavirus, it was announced on Sunday.
Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli in his daily update to Bayrak said that all three students had arrived from the UK and were in quarantine at the Riverside Hotel in Alsancak (Karavas).
Pilli, speaking on Sim TV later in the evening, changed his statement, stating that two not three of the cases on Sunday were repatriated students.
He said the third positive case confirmed on Sunday was a seven-year-old child bringing the total number of positive cases to 91.
Pilli said that 238 tests had been carried out bringing the total number of tests to 2785.
Two of these patients are being treated in the ICU.
He also said seven patients had been discharged on Saturday, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 36.
Pilli said that he was cautiously optimistic about the decreasing daily numbers but stressed there was no room for complacency.
In a separate statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Ersin Tatar renewed his call for everyone to remain at home.
Tatar also expressed his utmost respect for those working and risking their own lives to save others.
“I salute the doctors, nurses, medical personnel, emergency service personnel, civil servants and those working in the private sector to help others. We have many heroes both in the TRNC and in the world,” Tatar said.
Authorities meanwhile announced on Sunday that two new charter flights were being arranged from the UK to repatriate 300 or so Turkish Cypriots who permanently reside in the north.
The crisis desk at Tatar’s office reminded that those who will be repatriated will have to remain in quarantine for at least 14 days as the UK was currently a high-risk country.
Tatar says the road to normalisation could begin in May
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Economy
OVERVIEW
Tatar on Sunday said that some sectors, such as construction, could be permitted to resume work as of May this year if the current horizontal trend in coronavirus cases continued.
Speaking to Diyalog TV, Tatar said that their priority was public health and that such a move could only be possible with the approval of health experts that the virus had subsided.
“I agree with what the rest of the world is saying. It seems that we have this virus issue under control. But nothing will be the same anymore. We will need to revise our health services, our economic structure, our employment conditions, the way we work, our education, our production…all of our sectors,” he said.
Tatar also defended the government’s approach to the economy.
“We are a social welfare state. This is not a time to profit but a time to remain afloat. We shall do everything possible against those who exploit the situation,” he said.
Tatar added that the government will be announcing its support package to third-national workers in the country in the coming days.
He also said that Turkey was supporting the Turkish Cypriot community during these times of hardship.
“Turkey is sharing with it whatever it has. Our economic delegations are continuing to hold talks. We have taken our measures, we are doing what we can and we believe we will overcome these difficulties with Turkey’s support,” he added.
Meanwhile, the government on Sunday came under harsh criticism from the media for failing to include the press in the economic package.
“Are you waiting for the free media to die?” Sami Özuslu, head of the Turkish Cypriot Journalists’ Association asked in a written statement issued on Sunday.
Özuslu harshly criticised the government’s callousness towards the members of the media, who continue to work despite being left with almost no income.
He emphasised the media was carrying out its duty to inform the public about the developments and to protect the public from incorrect information.
Özuslu, pointing to the economic relief package announced for the media in the south, urged the Turkish Cypriot authorities to seriously consider assisting adopting similar measures.
“Media workers are like public workers as they have the responsibility to inform the public about the developments. Governments, therefore, have the responsibility to keep the media alive,” Özuslu concluded.
“The 25 per cut to the municipalities is nothing but pushing them to the edge of a cliff,” Muhittin Tolga Özsağlam said on Sunday.
The Republican Turkish Party’s (CTP) Local Administration’s Responsible, Özsağlam argued the cutting of state subsidies to the municipalities will result in severe economic difficulties in the local administrations, which are on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
He urged the municipalities to stand against the government’s decision.
KTAMS (Turkish Cypriot Public-Sector Employees’ Union), KAMUSEN (Turkish Cypriot Civil Servants’ Union) and KAMU-İŞ (Turkish Cypriot Public-Sector Workers’ Union) argued that several ministries which called their staff back to work on Monday had put them at great risk and violated the cabinet’s decisions
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the three unions recalled the cabinet decision declaring all public-sector employees, except for those providing essential services, to be on administrative leave until 10 April.
“Certain ministries are acting independently from the cabinet and disregarding the views of the unions,” the trade unions argued.
The unions condemned the decision and said they will not allow the ministers to risk the public’s health.
Nonetheless, the labour minister Faiz Sucuoğlu was quick to respond to the unions, stating that he had no intention of calling personnel back to work.
Speaking on SİM TV on Sunday, Sucuoğlu said the departments under the labour and the social security ministry continued to provide services to the people.
“We are not planning on calling all personnel back to work. We will establish a system where we will have staff working on a rotational system,” Sucuoğlu concluded.
Reports emerged later on Sunday that the Vehicle Registration Department and Postal Services, on the condition they would only be offering limited services, would start work on Monday.
The decision was announced on the official website of the Ministry of Public Works and Communication.
Just an hour later the decision was cancelled after a statement from the ministry said the public offices would remain closed as necessary preparations to ensure the public’s health could not be completed.
Meanwhile, the head of the Turkish Cypriot Hoteliers’ Association Dimağ Çağıner said on Sunday that both the government and the tourism sector needed to focus on what needs to be done once the coronavirus crisis is over.
In a social media post, Çağıner urged for the sector representatives and the authorities to come up with an action plan and decide, together with experts, on what needs to be done to revive the economy and the tourism sector.
Turkish Armed Forces says it will continue to safeguard TCs’ rights
Kıbrıs Postası
External Security
OVERVIEW
“The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will continue to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and will continue to safeguard peace and security in line with the international treaties of guarantees and alliance,” Colonel Olcay Denizer said on Sunday.
During a briefing given, the TSK’s Public Information Officer Colonel Denizer also said the TSK will also protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.