Cyprus closes shopping malls, restaurants and bars during the Christmas period to contain the accelerated spread of COVID-19

Cyprus announced the closure of restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping centers and a ban on attending masses during the Christmas period to slow the accelerated pace of the Corona virus outbreak.

The Minister of Health, Konstantinos Ioanno, announced the tightening of the measures after an emergency session of the government, in which it was decided to continue the curfew between nine at night and five in the morning.

The minister said the quick-results campaign in Cyprus showed that “the virus is present everywhere, in all cities, towns and regions.” Yuanwu announced the closure of “all restaurants, bars, cafes” and shopping centers. The decision also included the conduct of “church activities without the presence of citizens,” as quoted by the Cyprus News Agency.

The minister said that “distance education will be applied in secondary schools and higher education institutions as of Monday, December 14” and “kindergartens, primary and secondary schools will continue to function normally. The regulations will apply to both the public institutions as well as private ones, “according to the agency.

He announced that the measures “will come into effect from next Friday, December 11, and will be applied at the island level until the 31st of this month.”