Front Page Headlines
“First” bell a test for return
Everything will be judged by compliance with health protocols. The process of return to classes begins and will be completed, if everything goes well, on May 21st. Education Ministry gives assurances for security and health measures.
- Citizens split over loosening for temples: Some first to light to candle, some put vaccine first – One in ten wants to take communion, 20% does not attend church anyway
- (Nicosia municipality) Bought CVAR building
- They begun “advertising”
Return with protocols
Last-year students back in classes, security and health the highest priority. A barrage of announcements, protocols and instructions keeps changing the situation.
- Ten in the temple and tens in the churchyard – Pandemic front: Clear “roofs” by scientists
- Communication between Cyprus – France foreign ministers: Seeking a response to Turkish aggression
First bell with problems and question marks
Half on Monday – Wednesday and half on Thursday – Friday. Many schools don’t have the needed infrastructure. Concerns from students, parents and teachers.
- Coronavirus: One death and six new confirmed cases out of 1,393 lab tests
First step to school
Amidst continued reactions from teachers, students and parents, as well as assurances by the Education Ministry that all necessary preventive measures have been taken, last-year students return to class today.
- Coronavirus is here: One woman dead and six cases yesterday
- Larnakas Lapithou: The three versions of the origin of occupied village’s name
- Community leader: Chloraka has the status of a ghetto
Main News
New coronavirus death reported but new cases remain low
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Internal Security, Human Rights, CBMs
OVERVIEW
A 73-year-old woman passed away due to coronavirus on Sunday the dailies report, citing the government’s daily announcements. Another six cases were detected out of 1,393 lab tests. The number of deaths has now reached 16 and the total number of cases is now at 898.
According to the latest data, four patients are entubated in intensive care units and another 15 are still being hospitalised.
The dailies report also that according to announcements made in the occupied areas, there have been no new cases detected on Saturday or Sunday after 1,988 lab tests and 980 lab tests respectively. The total number of cases remains at 108 and one patient is still hospitalised.
Phileleftheros reports that the Turkish Cypriot “foreign ministry” announced that Kudret Ozersay also sent a letter to the World Health Organisation promoting the positive coronavirus situation in the north as a success of the T/C “government”.
According to a report by Turkish state agency Anadolu cited by Phileleftheros, Ozersay said in his letter that the WHO should recognise the north’s response to the coronavirus as a success story.
Politis reports that both Ozersay and “prime minister” Ersin Tatar are promoting the north as a safe destination for tourism ahead of the summer season. Tatar has been in contact with represenatives of the T/C economy discussing the next steps, while sharing tourism ads on social media.
Cyprus seeks support from France over Turkey’s operations in EEZ
Phileleftheros
External Security, Energy, Regional/ International Relations, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
Phileleftheros reports that Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides has contacted his French counterpart Jean-Yves le Drian to discuss Turkish actions in the Cypriot EEZ. Illegal operations continue despite the onset of the pandemic, while at the same time companies that act with the permission of the RoC cannot continue operating, the newspaper points out.
According to the report, Nicosia’s position is that Turkey’s actions cause concerns since Ankara has stated it does not rule out moving on to drilling in the Cypriot EEZ. Diplomatic sources told the newspaper that such a development would complicate the situation, and for that reason the government is developing a plan on future diplomatic moves.
The newspaper recalls that in the past few days Christodoulides has also contacted the foreign ministers of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Greece and other European countries.
Phileleftheros also points out that in an interview with website in.gr, Greek deputy foreign minister Miltiades Varvitsiotis said that Turkey should receive a clear message from Brussels that there will be consequences for infringing on international law, especially if the country is expecting to have a preferential relationship with the EU.
The newspaper also quotes a statement made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday,on the anniversary of Europe Day. Cavusoglu said that Turkey is open for an honest cooperation with the EU and that Turkey is ready to support the EU as a candidate country. He also said that the accession of Turkey would make the EU stronger, and that the EU needs to be strengthened due to the new regional challenges and the increase in geopolitical competition.
Chloraka community complains of becoming migrant “ghetto”
Alithia
Migration & Citizenship, Human Rights, Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Alithia reports that the president of the local community of Chloraka, Nikolas Liasides, has said that the village is facing multiple social problems due to the presence of 1,300 Syrian migrants. Liasides told Alithia that this is not a racist reaction but a concern related to the locals’ sense of security.
Liasides said that a lot of Syrian refugees live in Chloraka due to the fact that many appartments and houses in the area had been empty due to the 2013 financial crisis. When the first wave of migrants from the Syrian civil war reached Cyprus, many of them ended up living in Chloraka where they found cheap accomodation.
Since then, migrants brought friends and family causing an increase in migrant population which had stabilised in the past few years to about 700 to 800 people. However, a decision made by the owner of a tourist complex to house migrants in order to be able to rent throughout the year resulted in a sharp increase of people towards the end of 2019, which has brought an addition 400 migrants in the area before the pandemic hit.
Liasides insisted that the reactions are not due to racism as Syrians have been living in the village since the 1990s, maintaining good relations with the locals. However, he added, after the start of the civil war, most of the people arriving are between 18 to 25 years of age, several of which have been involved with crime.
He also said that large groups come from the same villages, which has caused the creation of a ghetto, and that many of them live in unhygienic conditions, with up to 15 people in a three bedroom appartment.
The community government of the village is in contact with the Interior Ministry, the Paphos municipality and the local police, Liasides added. He said that the proposal of the local authorities is to spread a significant number to other areas in order to ease the situation in Chloraka.