GCC Press Review 18 Mar 2020

Front Page Headlines

Politis

Back to Cyprus also without the certificate

Solution for those stranded abroad, except students. Ban on passenger flights to Cyprus from March 21 and for 14 days. The government aims to charter repatriation flights.

  • From the camp to hotels – Demands and strolls.
  • 60 per cent of the population will fall ill – Appeal to private doctors to join in. Extra respirators have been ordered from Israel.
  • The virus threatens the drillings

Phileleftheros

Battle to tackle the spread of the virus

It is deemed a given that 60 per cent of the population will fall ill. Urgent call to doctors. The weight of all efforts is on preventing a simultaneous outbreak. Hospitals will be operating only for emergencies to cope.

  • Airports close to all flights – A race to repatriate special categories of Cypriots. Only cargo planes will be allowed in. The British government charters aircraft for the repatriation of 800 tourists from Cyprus.
  • They are transferred to hotels in Troodos after the complaints
  • (North) is attempting recognition through the coronavirus
  • Intensive contacts with the British Bases
  • Quarantine of TC students in a hotel in Ayios Epiktitos by the pseudo-state
  • Concerns also over the effect on drillings – The ENI-Total and ExxonMobil drillrigs are in the area. Final preparations are underway through teleworking from US-UK.
  • Greece closes its borders

Haravgi

The health system has reached its limits

The positive coronavirus cases are on the rise with the total number reaching 49 patients. Chaos, disorganisation and without the necessary equipment are some of the issues nurses raise.

  • Chaos in Platres in CyBC’s presence
  • Exceptions for Cypriots stranded abroad
  • Instead of April, the ‘presidential elections’ in the occupied areas will take place six months later

Cyprus Mail

Flights banned from Saturday

All passenger entry stopped from 28 countries, including the UK and Greece.

  • Conditions in state quarantine facilities in Platres slammed
  • After chaos on Monday, only 23 allowed entry

Alithia

Cyprus’ skies close from March 21

We further shield our defence against the coronavirus. New powerful measures: Ban on flights expect those bringing in cargo, from many countries including Greece, UK, Russia and Germany. Aircraft are chartered for the repatriation of Cypriots from Athens and London. After the problems observed in camping areas, the persons put on obligatory quarantine were transferred to Troodos hotels. Irresponsible behaviours in airports and quarantine sites that put public health at risk. This is the time for responsibility for everyone. The medical scientific community and GESY doctors are reluctant to assist in the public sector’s effort to tackle the situation. Only three new cases yesterday and one in the occupied areas. First serious deterioration in the health condition of a 47-year-old confirmed case.

  • Occupied areas: Six-month postponement of the elections – Among those in quarantine in Troodos are TC students who arrived from Britain.

Main News

RoC bans passenger flights from 28 countries as Covid-19 cases rise to 49

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Internal Security, Human Rights

OVERVIEW

The government announced it will no longer require health certificates for Cypriots who are abroad for health and professional reasons but will ban all passenger flights from 28 countries for 14 days as of Saturday, the dailies report.

A large number of items in papers are on the coronavirus crisis. Among the main ones are the new restrictions the government announced on Tuesday evening.

The dailies report that three more coronavirus cases were confirmed on Tuesday, two of them concerning people who had come in contact with someone who already tested positive for Covid-19. The third case concerns a person who recently returned from Belgium and was self-isolating. This brings the total number to 49 cases.

A 47-year-old coronavirus patient who was at Famagusta hospital was transferred to the Limassol intensive care unit on Tuesday after presenting difficulty in breathing.

The dailies also report that a TC elderly woman died on Tuesday of coronavirus at the hospital she was being treated at in Farnborough in the UK.

Cyprus Mail reports that the government on Tuesday announced flights from 28 countries will be banned as of 3am on Saturday as a part of ramped up measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. The only flights allowed to Cyprus will be cargo flights for a period of 14 days. Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced the measures after a marathon meeting that lasted much of Tuesday with President Nicos Anastasiades, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos and others. The minister said the measures announced on Sunday and lasting until April 30 requiring passengers to have a health certificate no more than four days old will remain in place until Saturday, after which entrance will be blocked. Ioannou added ahead of the Saturday deadline, people who travelled for health reasons, short professional trips or are under the terms of the Vienna convention, will be allowed to present a note from a Cypriot diplomatic mission describing the nature of their travel in order to return. People accompanying individuals who travelled for health reasons will also be allowed entrance to the country, the minister said.

Flights will be allowed to leave the airports for people wishing to leave the island while the government might charter special flights from Athens and London to repatriate Cypriots who were abroad for medical reasons or for work. People arriving before Saturday will still need to go to a 14-day government quarantine facility, except for people travelling for medical reasons, who will remain in self-isolation to continue their therapy.

The ban concerns passenger flights from the United Kingdom, Greece, Russia, Germany, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Egypt, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Phileleftheros reports that according to the health ministry 60% of the population will fall ill with 3% of those needing treatment in an intensive care unit. It also reports that 80% of patients, however, will have mild symptoms. Given these statistics, all public and private sector hospitals will as of today serve only urgent cases since it is imperative to have beds and staff ready.

Politis reports that the government will fine the airlines that defied the NOTAM it issued with €2.937 for each passenger they brought without a certificate stating they do not have coronavirus. Citing sources, the daily reports that the government justified its decision to allow on Monday 71 passengers with no health certificates to disembark two planes after one of the pilots feigned dizziness and refused to return to the plane.

The daily also reports that the government, however, allowed the same for 24 passengers arriving until 6pm on Tuesday without any certificate.

Alithia reports that the behaviour exhibited by many who insist on entering the country despite not having secured the necessary certificate, or complaining over the quarantine facilities or instead of self-isolating go on strolls must raise concerns over the public’ reluctance in changing its mentality. This type of behaviour will not help the country win the battle with the virus, the paper said.

The daily also reports that the medical community seems reluctant to assist, especially the private sector doctors, most of which continue to avoid involvement in the whole effort. It added that GESY general physicians refer their patients to the 1420 hotline as soon as they suspect they might have coronavirus symptoms. As a result, the hotline is inundated with calls making it even harder to respond to urgent cases.

According to the papers, Defence Minister Savvas Angelides and National Guard commander Lieutenant General Dimokritos Zervakis tested negative for Covid-19. They took the test after a National Guard officer who had travelled to Greece was tested positive. The minister had presided over meetings the officer in question had attended. Angelides is now in self-isolation as well as close associates of his.

Phileleftheros also reports that there have been two confirmed coronavirus cases at the Stavrovouni military camp.

Politis reports that the Stavrovouni camp is in quarantine as well another one in Klirou after a soldier there presented symptoms similar to those of coronavirus. Phileleftheros reports that that soldier was tested negative.

Phileleftheros reports that state services as of Tuesday are working on skeleton staff with many civil servants working from home. They were told, however, that they might be asked to work in other services other than the ones they are serving to meet increased needs due to the extraordinary situation.

The daily also reports that the presence of the civil defence may not be visible but it is not absent from the state actions against the coronavirus.

The civil defence’s deputy chief Kyriacos Hadjigeorgiou told the paper that they are part of the coordinating team for crisis management while its volunteers are helping with calls received by the contacts of those tested positive to coronavirus.

He also said that civil defence continues to assist at the temporary reception centre for migrants in Kokkinotrimithia adding that despite restrictions in movement due to the coronavirus, there are still arrivals through the buffer zone but in smaller numbers.


Government reassures Covid-19 will not affect offshore drillings but concerns remain

Phileleftheros, Politis
Energy

OVERVIEW

The dailies report that the coronavirus pandemic is also expected to affect the drillings scheduled to take place in Cyprus’ offshore blocks by energy consortium ENI-Total and company ExxonMobil.

Politis reports that Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis and ExxonMobil dismissed rumours that the July drilling in block 10 was postponed.

Lakkotrypis told Politis that two ExxonMobil executives were to travel to Cyprus for consultations with the government on the final stage of preparations for the drilling but they cancelled after the latest travel restrictions were announced by the president on Sunday concerning the obligation to present a clean health certificate and remain in quarantine for 14 days upon arrival to the country.

The minister also said that ExxonMobil in Cyprus gave reassurances they are not thinking of postponing the drilling.

The daily also reports that the rumours that the company has cancelled the lease agreement for the Stena drillrig for its operations in Cyprus in July and August were also dismissed.

No one, however can give assurances that the serious problems caused to business activities globally due to the spread of the virus and the possibility of serious deterioration of the situation will not also seriously affect the energy companies’ plans for new drillings, the daily reported.

The daily also reports that the coronavirus crisis and the strict restrictions to the mobility of workers could also affect ENI-Total’s plans to drill in the Cronos target in block 6 scheduled to start  in mid-April.

Despite that the ministry said the drilling will take place, the travel restrictions also apply for the staff expected to arrive for the drilling, the daily reports.

Phileleftheros too reports that there are concerns over the coronavirus’ effect on the drillings. While no delays are expected in the drilling schedule the risk for postponement is visible due to delays in the arrival of experts of the companies that will carry out the drillings the paper reports, adding that so far the problem has been solved through teleworking.


Consultations between sides over TC students in Troodos

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
CBMs, Human Rights

OVERVIEW

Alithia, Politis and Cyprus Mail report that consultations were underway through the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health concerning four TC students who were on the flights that arrived on Monday evening at Larnaca and Paphos airports after the 6pm health certificate deadline for entry, and who were taken along with the rest of the passengers for a 14-day quarantine in Troodos.

GC head of the committee Leonidas Phylactou told Cyprus News Agency that he was in contact with his TC counterpart and he has asked for the names of these persons. He said that the health minister has proposed that the TCs currently in quarantine, if they wish to, be transferred to the north through ambulances sent from the occupied areas.

Phileleftheros reports that TC ‘foreign minister’ Kudret Ozersay has sent letters to the World Health Organisation and the European Commission on the measures the TC ‘government’ is taking against the spread of coronavirus.

The paper reports that the occupation regime is trying to elicit recognition amidst a pandemic. it adds that the north is making use of the coronavirus pandemic to pass through to international forums that it is acting with the status of a ‘state’.

All dailies also report that the elections in the north would be postponed for six months due to the coronavirus crisis.


British Bases say they are aligned with RoC measures against Covid-19

Haravgi, Phileleftheros
External Security, Regional/International Relations

OVERVIEW

The dailies report that the British Bases say they have aligned with the measures introduced by the Republic of Cyprus to counter the spread of coronavirus.

Administrator of the Bases Major General Rob Thomson met with Cyprus foreign and health ministry officials on Tuesday morning on the issue. He said after the meeting that they shared their perspectives on the threat presented by coronavirus and how they are responding. He said they agreed that they are ‘in step’.

They also discussed the measures imposed on the Bases and in the Republic to best protect residents.

Thomson said the bases have aligned with the measures introduced by the Republic including on social distancing and prohibiting public gatherings, the closure of shops, gyms, cinemas and restaurants; cancelling all non-operational activity and exercises, visits and sporting events.

He also said that all British Ministry of Defence schools in Cyprus will close at the end of the school day on Wednesday, until Monday April 20, while they banned all but the most essential operational and family travel into RAF Akrotiri. All arrivals are medically screened on arrival and undergo a compulsory 14-day isolation period, he said, according to the papers.

Phileleftheros reports that there is great concern as regards the measures taken by the British Bases against the spread of the virus due to the situation in the UK and way the British government is handling things.

Persons working at the bases said that not even the basic measures concerning the self-isolation for two weeks of individuals arriving from the UK are not observed. They also said that the necessary checks at the Akrotiri military airport are not made, the paper reported.

Citing unions, the paper reports that around 2,500 to 3,000 people work at the bases. The government’s concern but also the employees there is the possible spread of the virus through British soldiers to the persons working there, it reports.

A diplomatic source from the foreign ministry told Phileleftheros that they discussed this issue at the meeting and that the bases’ management gave reassurances that all safety measures announced by the Republic of Cyprus were being followed.

The only measure not followed is that schools remain open at the bases, but reassurances were given that arrangements have been made for online courses and the limited presence of pupils in the classroom, the daily reports.


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