In a new move to curb the deadly disease, Turkish Cyprus’ government has declared a full curfew to keep itself out of community transmission.
The curfew, which will come in action from March 31 and remain till April 5, will remain in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. These curfews will not be partial ones, and residents will not be allowed to go out unless they have a perfectly valid reason and/or are facing an unavoidable emergency.
Turkish Cypriot Deputy Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay, who made the announcement, explained how the curfew is stricter than before, and how making home visits is not allowed nay longer. He added that while essential services such as supermarkets will continue to work, they will close down at 8 p.m. Özersay went on to call on municipalities to ensure that all supermarkets were taking the required measures to maintain hygiene, and that the staff was being regularly screened for symptoms.
The curfew decision has been announced after a cabinet meeting that was held to discuss the recent development underlying the COVID-19 pandemic.
Turkish Cyprus has around 70 confirmed cases thus far. The death toll stands at 1, a tourist from Germany who passed away from complications due to the virus.
