The Cabinet meets on Friday morning to take final decisions on the further relaxation of coronavirus measures in Cyprus under the shadow of a bleak epidemiological state of play.
Announcements by Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou are scheduled around 11:30 am with insiders warning that the imminent opening of restaurants and cafes is not on the cards.
Also doubtful is the return of all students back to the classroom as of Tuesday, March 16 – as anticipated. Monday is a public holiday in Cyprus.
All students will most probably return to school at the end of March, an insider also said.
Cabinet on Wednesday postponed until Friday taking the final decisions in view of the rising number of new cases over recent past days and the increased number of hospitalisations all across Cyprus.
On Wednesday, Cabinet had also focused on the 9pm to 5am curfew to possibly be extended by a few hours – from 11:00pm to 5am, that is. This possibility is still under discussion.
Restaurant and café owners have been demanding they be allowed to reopen since they were closed in December and are getting desperate.
They are currently allowed to operate for delivery, and take away services only until 9pm.
At the same time, vaccination coverage in Cyprus will reach 40-45 per cent by the end of the month and this will allow further relaxation of measures.
