More than 200 people who arrived from abroad are currently in quarantine in the North Cyprus as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, it was reported on Thursday.
There are so far 20 confirmed cases in the north, 18 German tourists and two Turkish Cypriots. No new cases have been announced since Tuesday.
At the moment, more than 200 persons are in quarantine in a hotel in Ayios Epiktitos in Kyrenia where all travellers arriving to the north are taken.
The passengers are reportedly picked up right after they exit the planes and are taken by buses to the hotel for a 14-day quarantine.
Two Turkish Cypriot students who had arrived at the Larnaca and Paphos airports last Monday and who were placed in quarantine along with the rest of passengers in Troodos, were reportedly transferred to the north on Wednesday and were placed in quarantine in the same hotel. Students are expected to be repatriated in the north from the UK, Germany, France and Spain.
Authorities announced on Wednesday that until April 1, only Turkish Cypriots will be allowed entry to the north be it by land, sea or air. Upon their arrival, they will have to spend 14 days in quarantine.
As regards the elections that were scheduled to take place in April, after the decision to postpone them, ‘parliament’ decided on Thursday that they would take place on October 11. The decision is pending approval by the ‘house plenum’.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci announced that part of the ‘presidency’s’ secret funds staring from April and for eight months, will be given to the ‘health ministry’ to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
In the meantime, Turkish Cypriot Pyla residents reacted strongly to the decision that restrictions in crossing to the north now apply to them as well with community leader Veysal Guden, stressing that this could lead to financial problems for them. Guden told daily Kibris that a large number of Turkish Cypriots living in Pyla and Pergamos work in the north.
Guden reportedly said that such a decision ought to have been jointly taken by both sides of the island. He also said that this has upset many in the village who see themselves as part of the north and that they cannot accept that they are being treated the same as Greek Cypriots, the daily reported.
Turkish Cypriot Pyla residents were exempt from restrictions imposed to those crossing to the north until Wednesday, when it was announced that they too, will be subject to central quarantine, when they cross over.