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‘No one is listening to us’
Doctors fighting Covid-19 spoke out: “We have no say and we are not being informed.” Pulmonologist Dr Yağmur Aldağ and Infectious Diseases expert Nesil Bayraktar at the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital in Nicosia spoke on Bayrak about the fight they waged against Covid-19, complaining that they were not given a say in the process. They complained that they learned about developments through the media and expressed concern over the shortage of beds. They say that authorities announced that they conduct around 200 tests daily but it is not known who is being tested and on what grounds.
- 396 tests in the north with no new cases, 1669 tests in the south with five new cases.
- Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman: It’s been six weeks but still no plan
- Nalbantoğlu moves back – The final decision is converting the second floor of the outpatient clinic into a 30 room, 45-bed capacity ICU.
Ceased print/Online only
The hospital is back in action
Both the medical equipment and the patients, who had been moved to the Kolan Hospital when the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital was converted into a pandemic hospital, were moved back on Monday. The Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital is going back to its old system. The outpatient clinic will serve as the pandemic service and an ICU. The necessary equipment, mainly ventilators have been installed in the rooms. Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli announced the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital will be providing treatment for other patients than Covid-19 cases and added the cardiology department, which had been damaged by the fire at the hospital, has also been repaired.
- PM Ersin Tatar: “We are now focused on PCR tests due to reliability issues with ‘rapid’ tests.”
- Cancer patients waiting for assistance – Raziye Kocaismail, head of the Association for Solidarity with Cancer Patients, highlighted the cancer patients must not be forgotten while fighting to contain the spread of the coronavirus virus. She said the Association had to cease its activities since 9 March thus economically suffering now.
- Blood stocks depleted – Ahmet Varoğlu, head of the Thalassemia Patients’ Association, asked the health ministry to carry out ‘blood donation campaigns’ as the stocks are depleting quickly due to the coronavirus pandemic. He added the thalassemia patients are concerned.
“We are not even at point zero”
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Fazilet Özdenefe evaluated the cabinet’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis and the issue of medical supplies delivered from the south. She also evaluated politicians’ relations with satirists. Özdenefe said politicians needed to be more tolerant towards satire and must learn to laugh at jokes. I do not approve pursuing legal action or punishment against those who make fun of politicians.
- To drill off the coast of Cyprus – The Yavuz drillship has set sail towards the eastern Mediterranean in line with Turkey’s Navtex covering the period from 20 April to 18 July.
- Salary payments to be made in three days – Turkish Cypriot finance ministry announced.
- Kolan Hospital will no longer be in use – The patients and the medical equipment transported to the Kolan Hospital taken back to the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital. The second floor of the outpatient clinic will be used as the quarantine facility and the covid-19 patients, who are currently at neurology, pulmonology and urology departments will be transferred there.
- The latest situation: North 108 cases four deaths; South 772 cases 12 deaths; 90.980 cases 2140 deaths.
Starting from scratch
The state hospital has started providing medical services to both Covid-19 and other patients. Staff and equipment which had been previously moved to the Kolan private hospital were moved back to the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital.
- No positive cases – 396 people were tested yesterday (Monday)
- 1669 tests carried out – Five new cases detected in South Cyprus bringing the total number to 772.
- Death toll reaches 2140 – 4674 new cases in Turkey bringing the total number of cases to 90,980.
- It’s going to take 68 days for 60,000 people at this pace – (Labour) Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu said that 880 people applied for the ₺1,500 (€200) support payment on the first day.
Positive in Famagusta, negative in Nicosia
The person, whose PCR test came back positive in Famagusta, was sent home after a second test in Nicosia came back negative. Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli confirmed that Tolga Üstürk had first tested positive in Famagusta and later negative in Nicosia. Pilli also reduced the daily tally of cases from 109 to 108.
- Different salaries to be paid on different days – State pensioners will receive their salaries on 24 April, social insurance pensioners on 28 April and public servants on 4 May.
- No new cases in the north, five new cases in the south – The number of positive cases in the south have decreased. In 1669 tests, only five positive cases were identified.
- 21,000 applications on the first day – Labour Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu said there is a high demand for the ₺1500 (€200) salary support scheme.
- The hospital is being moved back – The first operation was held at the north Nicosia state hospital following the fire.
Main News
North’s total Covid-19 figure drops after patient tests negative
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Not only were no new cases of coronavirus announced in the north on Monday but a drop was recorded in the total number of cases after it emerged that an individual who had tested positive earlier on Sunday did not have the virus after two repeated tests on the patient on Monday both came back negative.
The incident raised the possibility that the initial test had not been done properly.
The total number of cases, therefore, dropped from 109 to 108.
Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli, announcing the news on Bayrak, said one more person had been discharged on Monday.
Pilli added that 396 tests had been carried out on Monday bringing the total to 6562.
Pilli also announced that the General hospital in Nicosia had started offering services to other patients as well after it was moved back on Monday.
Until Monday, the general hospital had offering services the private Kolan hospital in Nicosia after the main state hospital’s building had been converted to a pandemic hospital.
The Turkish Cypriot health minister gave examples from other countries where hospitals have compartmentalized sections to treat both Covid-19 and other patients seeking medical attention.
He reassured the public that the Covid-19 ward was well isolated from the other sections.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar also spoke positively on Monday.
Tatar, quizzed by reporters on Bayrak on Monday night, said that restrictions could start to be eased in several weeks if the current flat trajectory of cases continued.
He said that the north, with its relative isolation from the rest of the world, had allowed it to ride out this period with fewer cases than most countries, including the south.
Arguing that the government had handled the crisis well, Tatar said that they had a low number of cases to prove it.
Tatar also expressed the view that the strict quarantine measures the government has been adopting over the past six weeks for repatriated Turkish Cypriots as well as the swift measures taken as soon as the first case was confirmed had lowered the risk of infection.
“We shall, of course, continue to remain isolated until the virus has subsided in Turkey and the south,” he said.
Tatar added that people will still have to adhere to social distancing and precautions in the period ahead.
He also said that there was a need for more testing and that efforts were underway to acquire more PCR testing kits which he said were more reliable.
Tatar admitted though that even if more testing kits were acquired, there was still the problem of a shortage of medical staff that could collect and process samples.
“We have around 5000 tests and we are working on getting a hold on more,” he noted.
Regarding the economy, Tatar said that they will start considering re-opening some businesses but only after receiving the green light from health experts.
“We have it planned out until the end of May. We believe that we shall be able to slowly recover the state’s financial losses within a couple of months once the wheels of the economy start rolling. It will be a long and difficult recovery but we will get there,” he said.
Tatar said that financial support from Turkey as well as generating domestic revenues will be vital in getting the Turkish Cypriot economy back on track.
He, however, drew a bleaker picture concerning slashed public-sector salaries, stating that the amount cut which according to the constitution needed to be paid back, would not be possible soon.
The leader of the main Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman slammed the government on Monday for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He claimed that the authorities had failed to maintain provide the public with trust and confidence which were vital elements of managing crises successfully.
Erhürman, speaking on Bayrak, also said that the government had yet to come up with a plan on how to proceed even though it had been six weeks since the first case was confirmed.
“The government has not even been able to make up its mind on a pandemic hospital. We have been shuffling patients and hospital staff back and forth for weeks,” he said.
Turkish Cypriot Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay in the meantime announced on Monday that the restriction of entry of all diplomatic staff including United Nations’ peacekeepers into the north was extended for another week.
Özersay, announcing the decision on social media, said the measure was extended as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the north.
He also noted that two UN supply trucks will be allowed to cross into the north on Tuesday to deliver supplies to UN bases located in the north. The convoys, he said, will be escorted by Turkish Cypriot police will drive directly to the camps and back.
In a separate post on social media on Monday, Özersay announced that 80 Turkish Cypriots living in the UK had died due to complications caused by coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, the Turkish Cypriot community in the UK is losing valuable members. Our representation office in London has put the official figure as 80. I would like to express my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of those who loved ones,” he added.
In a separate development on Monday, Özersay announced that the 18 Turkish nationals who had been repatriated to their country on Sunday suspected of having contracted Covid-19 had tested negative for the virus.
He said that he had been in close contact with the Turkish Ambassador Ali Murat Başçeri on the matter.
“I was informed by Ambassador Başçeri that all 18 individuals who had been taken to hospital in Ağrı after initial screening upon their arrival tested negative for Covid-19. We do not take such matters lightly and are following developments closely,” Özersay added.
Rumours had circulated on social media that there were a large number of asymptomatic or ‘ghost’ cases in the TRNC after the 18 were sent to a hospital for testing.
Police reported on Monday that there had been 398 violations of the street curfews and restrictions over the past week.
A police report said that 291 people had violated the partial curfew, 107 people the night-time curfew and five people had opened shops despite the restrictions in place between April 13-20.
Salary payments to be spread out over several days
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security, Economy
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Finance Ministry, in a statement on Monday, announced that salaries of pensioners and public-sector employees will be spread throughout the week to avoid people piling up at the banks.
The statement noted the pensioners will be paid on 24 April, followed by social security pensioners on April 28 and the remaining public servants will receive their paychecks on 4 May.
“The finance ministry decision aims at ensuring adherence to the social distancing rule at the banks and spreading the salary payments would naturally avoid pile-ups,” the statement concluded.
Labour Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu reassured the people that the online application system for the ₺1500 (€200) support scheme was up and running again on Monday.
Speaking during a programme on Bayrak, Sucuoğlu said the online application system crashed after 21,000 people tried to log-in in ten minutes.
He also said that 880 applications had been processed on Monday.
“We will be able to make the first payment on Friday and the others will follow periodically,” Sucuoğlu said, pointing out that online system will be available for the coming 21 days and 24 hours a day for those interested.
CTP leader Tufan Erhürman on Monday criticized statements made by the authorities implying that businesses will be allowed to re-open soon due to the flat curve of cases.
Erhürman, speaking on Bayrak, said such assumptions were unscientific.
“I promise we will make no objections to such a decision on the condition it is backed by scientific data and information,” he added.
Erhürman pointed out that health experts were suggesting the opposite, that reopening too soon would have catastrophic consequences.
Contradicting Erhürman, National Unity Party (UBP) Famagusta MP Resmiye Canaltay, on Monday, expressed her belief some of the businesses could return to their offices upon recommendations from the health ministry and the scientific board.
Speaking during a programme on Bayrak, Canaltay noted the private sector workers are in a dire situation.
“Some of the businesses have to reopen gradually if not soon” she warned.
Canaltay also noted the tourism and the higher education sectors have suffered the worst blow due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As a former tourism professional herself, Canaltay said the future of tourism will only depend on the success in the area of health.
“It is vital to start working on a tourism strategy for 2021,” Canaltay stressed.
She argued the tourism sector will be focusing either on individual tourists or smaller tour groups as a result of the pandemic.
Noting that the cabinet has managed the crisis well with minor mistakes, Canaltay pointed to the October elections as misfortune.
“The upcoming elections result in political debates overshadowing the efforts to contain the pandemic,” she argued.
Canaltay also criticised the decision to close the parliament due to the pandemic and said the decisions should have been produced in consultation with the opposition parties.
In another development, the Ministry for Public Works and Communication announced on Monday a new series of measures implemented at the Kyrenia and Famagusta ports to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ministry, as the first measure, noted the crew onboard ships are not allowed to leave their ship or set foot on land.
Additionally, the ship captain must send temperature readings of the crew on board for seven days at least 48 hours before anchoring at any one of the Turkish Cypriot ports.
In the case when the ship is working between Turkey and the north, the daily temperature-readings of the crew are required.
In addition to the disinfection on board the ship, the municipalities are in charge of disinfecting all the vehicles that drive onto the pier for unloading.
The ministry also recalled the ferry service had ceased until April 27 April and only Turkish Cypriots are allowed to enter the north until April 30.
Yavuz returns to the East Med.
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Energy
OVERVIEW
Turkish drillship Yavuz set sail on Sunday from the Turkish port of Taşucu, in the country’s southern coast, en route to a drilling target in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Yavuz is being accompanied by three supply ships, the Osman Bey, Ertuğrul Bey and Orhan Bey.
The drillship will be conducting drilling activities until July 18, when Turkey’s latest Navtex expires.
All naval vessels have been warned to keep their distance from the Turkish vessels and the area they are operating in.