Seven Greek-Cypriots tested positive to Coronavirus at the Turkish-held Rizokarpaso primary school, the CNA reports.
Two are a teacher and a cleaner living in the occupied areas and another five were found in subsequent testing in the community, including a pupil at the primary school. The majority of the five cases were reportedly contacts of the first two.
The school, which operates for children of the enclaved in the occupied areas of Cyprus, has been closed for a week as a precaution following this development, starting last Friday.
Presidential Commissioner for Humanitarian Issues and Overseas Cypriots Fotis Fotiou told CNA that both the primary school and the adjacent kindergarten have been disinfected, as has the Rizokarpaso lyceum (upper secondary school) despite no cases having been found there.
All Greek Cypriot schools in Rizokarpaso remained closed last Friday and Fotiou said it will be decided whether the lyceum too will remain closed next week.
Most of the people who tested positive to Covid-19 in Rizokarpaso, Fotiou mentioned, are self-isolating in the areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
Turkey occupied 36.2 percent of the sovereign territory of the Republic and forcibly expelled about 180,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. Another 20.000 Greek Cypriots, who had remained in the occupied areas, were also forced to eventually abandon their homes and seek refuge in the safety of the government-controlled areas. Today, few enclaved Greek Cypriots remain in the occupied areas.
Turkey still deprives the displaced Greek Cypriots of their right to return to their homes and properties. This has given rise to appeals to the European Court of Human Rights, which has issued major decisions on Turkey’s violations of the European Convention.
(CNA, in-cyprus)
