Foreign tourists in North Cyprus are being sent back to their countries by chartered flights in association with the tourist agents’ and hoteliers’ association, because of the coronavirus epidemic.

The majority of the seven confirmed cases in North Cyprus are foreign and all tourists, except those in quarantine, will be sent back to their countries.

It is expected that by next Thursday there will be no tourists left in the 200-300 bed hotel rooms in the TRNC.

Kibris

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The presidential elections are to be postponed for six months, Parliamentary Speaker Teberrüken Uluçay has announced.

At a meeting chaired by incumbent President Mustafa Akıncı, the decision was made following a joint request by party leaders and representatives of all political parties represented in the Assembly that the presidential elections be postponed for six months.

Also attending the meeting were leader of the Republican Assembly Teberrüken Uluçay, leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) and Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, President of the Supreme Election Board, Narin Ferdi Şefik, Deputy Prime Minister Republican Turkish Party (CTP) President Tufan Erhürman, Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay Public Prosecutor Behiç Öztürk, People’s Party (HP) Chairman Yenal Sizin, Socialist Democracy Party (TDP) Cemal Özyiğit, Democrat Party (DP) Nicosia MP Serdar Denktaş and Rebirth Party (YDP) Chairman Erhan Arıklı.

Kibris News Agency

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There are 13 new cases of coronavirus in Famagusta.

Health Minister Pilli told TAK news agency that 39 of the first case group was tested and 13 of them tested positive.

Yeni Duzen

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A new regulation for supermarkets has been announced by Market Association Association President Fuat Nesip Nalcıoğlu.
All supermarkets must close at 6pm. There will be limits to the number of shoppers permitted inside depending on the size of the premises.
According to the new arrangement, supermarkets will now be open between 7am – 6pm.

1. All supermarkets must meet all the conditions proposed by the Ministry of Health to protect their customers       and employees against the coronavirus – Covid-19.
2. All supermarkets will open at 7am and close at 6pm.

3. All supermarkets are obliged to observe this new regulation,

• Maximum 5 customers in supermarkets under 50 square meters,
• Maximum 10 customers in supermarkets between 50-200 square meters,
• Maximum 20 customers in supermarkets between 200-500 square meters,
• Maximum 35 customers in supermarket between 500-1000 square meters
• Maximum 50 customers will be admitted to supermarkets over 1000 square meters.

All supermarkets are expected to comply with this new practice and legal action will be initiated for those which do not.
Kibris Postasi

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The Met Office has said that a low air pressure system will mean that temperatures across North Cyprus will be between 5-6 C below the seasonal norm.

Temperatures will be between 11-14 C on the coast and 13-15 C inland.

Winds will vary between moderate to storm force from the north and west in some areas.

Kibris Postasi

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TRNC physicians are calling for curfews. They have said that some of the public have not absorbed the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic.

Emphasising that there is a 14 day quarantine rule, some people are still walking the streets risking the spread of the virus or of acquiring it themselves.

Chief Physician and Cardiovascular Surgery Specialist Nicosia Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital Dr. Hasan Birtan said that the measures taken by the government are in line with the rest of the world.

He noted that the attitude of the public will be effective in reducing the risk of spreading the virus. It is obvious that the public is still processing the seriousness of the situation. This attitude can have negative consequences; globally, hospitals could not prevent such an epidemic. Public attitudes are do not bode well. I hope our people take the warnings seriously for all our sakes, or we could end up being like Italy.

A curfew should be declared if matters get worse, he said.

Former health minister Dr. Filiz Besim said that people still wandering on the streets which indicates that serious warnings are being ignored. Besim emphasized the importance of 14 days quarantine.

Besim said, “Home quarantine creates serious problems. Those who stayed in their homes for 3 or 4 days have gone out on the streets and came into contact with people. It is not clear how this epidemic will affect us. Seriously, it was imperative that people not come into contact with each other. Somehow, curfews should be implemented without restricting people’s freedom. A committee that can manage this crisis should be established.

There are serious problems among public employees, health professionals who are not sufficiently protected. No masks and gloves. Our health infrastructure is not ready for this crisis, we have 800 people in quarantine. People should stay in their homes, yet they flock to the markets. The government should take wider measures, and make all necessary efforts to explain the seriousness of the pandemic. Many decisions are unfortunately not being implemented. There are those still coming from abroad and this number will increase. We must be prepared for anything”.

Yeni Duzen

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The Cabinet met yesterday and expanded the scope of measures taken against the coronavirus. From the perspective of all those entering North Cyprus via border checkpoints, ports and airports are obliged to remain at quarantine centres for 14 days. In this context, around 170 people were transported by bus to locations where they will remain in quarantine.

Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said yesterday that the Cabinet had decided to put all those entering the TRNC from abroad, including from South Cyprus, into a controlled quarantine. This decision includes citizens of Turkey and the TRNC. He noted that the measure will also apply to residents of the villages of Pile/Pyla and Beyarmudu/Pergamos, who will also be quarantined if they enter the TRNC.

Referring to those who have visited South Cyprus or Turkey for health reasons, Ozersay said that if it is not possible to continue treating these people at controlled isolation sites, their stay in quarantine will be managed in their homes.

He noted that the government is making efforts to transfer Turkish Cypriot students studying in Germany, France and Spain to North Cyprus via Turkish Airlines. He added that there will be two chartered flights from the United Kingdom on 20 and 21 March and that students will be given priority on those flights. He also said that if space is left on the second plane, people in the UK who for various reasons had been unable to return will be given any remaining seats. These flights are attempting to reach Turkey via the touch-down method; that is not requiring passengers to leave the plane for security reasons as was imposed by the UK government.

Kibris

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Minor offenders detained at Nicosia Central Prison pending trial will be released temporarily.

The State Prosecutor’s Office has ordered the release of around 50 inmates until they are able face trial at a later date.

The decision is aimed at reducing prisoner numbers and reducing the risk of the spread of coronavirus.

Yeni Duzen

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Entry to North Cyprus is barred to all visitors with the exception of TRNC citizens as of 2pm today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay announced on social media.

BRTK

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President Mustafa Akinci had a phone conversation with South Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades yesterday, with whom he discussed the importance of continuing the co-operation through the Bi-technical Technical Committee on Health under an agreement that was previously arranged with the aim of jointly tackling the spread of coronavirus.

At the meeting, it also discussed the steps needed to be taken by various organizations such as the EU and the UN to meet the needs identified by the Technical Committee.

The two leaders agreed that together they would make every effort in this direction. The leaders also reiterated their determination to continue the common struggle against the spread of coronavirus.

BRTK

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A British couple who have been made to stay in quarantine at a hotel in Famagusta are concerned about how they will get home.

They are staying at the Salamis Bay Conti Hotel where a number of German tourists, all in the same group were infected with coronavirus.

Linda and Grant Gibson from Kent said that they had enjoyed four days of their holiday but then were obliged stay in their room under quarantine.

Mr Gibson, 65, said: “We had four lovely days before being placed in quarantine and the nightmare began.

“The end date is the 24th, although we don’t know if that is the date we will actually be allowed to leave since we have to then be tested, await results and be given an all clear certificate.

“We are showing no symptoms and hope to be given a negative result at the end of the quarantine.

“However, 18 cases have been reported here, all Germans and all travelling together.

“We are confined to our room with food and water served in them. At first we were only served rice with boiled vegetables, but the food has since improved”.

He said that the police were patrolling the grounds to make sure that no one leaves or enters the hotel.

All flights to the UK from South Cyprus will be suspended after 21 March and the borders have been closed.

The only flights leaving Ercan will be to Turkey and they fear that they will end up being trapped there.

Mr. Gibson added: “We’ve had very limited information, most of which we have had to get for ourselves.

“We are in touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British High Commission, but again while sympathetic they can only make representations to the Northern Turkish Cyprus Government”.

The couple have also been in touch with their MP Damian Collins, and asked him to speak for them. He now hopes to arrange a military flight home for British people stranded in North Cyprus.

Mr Collins said: “I have taken up this case with the Foreign Office and asked if they would look at organising a flight to get people home from Cyprus, perhaps from the RAF base on the island at Akrotiri.”

KentOnline

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The total number of cases of coronavirus – Covid-19 has risen to 33.

According to the Ministry of Health’s statement, a positive result was obtained in the test conducted on 12 German tourists in quarantine at Salamis Bay Conti Hotel and the wife of a Turkish Cypriot patient who is still infected by the coronavirus.

Health Minister Ali Pilli announced that 12 German tourists and 1 TRNC citizen tested positive as a result of the examinations made today. He stated that the TRNC citizen, who has tested positive today, is the wife of the TRNC citizen, who was found carrying the coronavirus.

Minister Pilli said that the total number of positive cases in the TRNC has risen to 33. While 67 cases have emerged in the south of the island to date, it has been announced that 2 cases have recovered and have reached the stage of discharge.

The first case in the south was diagnosed on March 9, and in the north on March 10, a 65-year-old tourist from Germany reported herself to Famagusta Hospital with a fever.

In the south, 9 new cases of the coronavirus have been discovered. The total number of cases in the south is 67.

Yeni Duzen

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Two pharmaceutical companies plan to restart production of a decades-old malaria drug following research that suggests it may help to combat the new coronavirus COVID-19.

The United States government has focused on testing the drug and developing it in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mylan (MYL) and Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) plan to kickstart production of hydroxychloroquine, which is also approved for treating lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. The medicine has been prescribed sparingly, mostly to travellers, and was in short supply this month, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, which counted a handful of manufacturers that were not shipping tablets.

More than a dozen generic drugmakers, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Mylan NV and Novartis AG’s Sandoz unit, manufacture chloroquine, also called hydroxychloroquine. It comes with few major known side effects, is relatively inexpensive and is widely used around the world. China has been testing it as well.

Reportedly some doctors in the US have been prescribing the medicine after several studies have indicated a promise of a response against Covid-19. This has prompted the Trump administration to act quickly to discover if the drug and a closely related medicine chloroquine can help to halt the spread of the virus.

Mylan plans to restart production of hydroxychloroquine tablets at a West Virginia facility to meet “potential” increased demand and is looking to begin manufacturing outside the US in the coming weeks, the company has said. Mylan noted that the World Health Organisation has listed the drug as being under investigation for combating the coronavirus.

The pharmaceutical company anticipates supplying the pills by mid-April, based on existing supplies of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, and the boosting production to provide 50 million tablets and potentially treat a total of more than 1.5 million patients. The potential use of this medicine for Covid-19 related treatment is pending additional FDA and other regulatory body guidance, the company added.

Reuters, Bloomberg

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Events as advertised may be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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A boat carrying 175 refugees from Syria, has capsized off the coast between the villages of Taşlıca and Boltaşlı. Special police teams helped to rescue the people who were then transported to İskele.

The boat was first spotted off Cape Greco on the south-east coast of the island on Friday. South Cyprus’ marine police went to deter the vessel from heading for shore.

According to the information provided by the TRNC Police Press Officer, at around 3.30 am on Satuday, the boat carrying 30 women, 69 children and 76 men, capsized about 30 meters offshore.

The asylum-seekers have been moved to the Fazıl Küçük Sports Hall, will undergo health checks.

The Civil Defence, İskele District Governorate and İskele Municipality teams are working in coordination to supply of the needs of the asylum seekers – blankets food, clothing etc.
The children’s clothes are soaked, (there is a one month old baby among the children) and a call has been made for donations of unwanted clothing.

Donations can be left a the town hall in Yenierenköy.

Contact numbers: Dursun Bulut: 0542 853 55 47 Pınar Selengin: 0542 884 69 68

Kibris Postasi, Yeni Duzen

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Over 150 students who were flown into North Cyprus earlier this morning from the UK have refused to occupy dormitaries for the required 14 quarantien period. There is a shortage of private dormitories.

Students who came from the UK on chartered flight rebelled in front of the dormitories with their families. They said that no preparation of the dormitories had been made. They complained about the lack of hygiene. There were no lights, bedding and the toilets were unusable.

Eventually, Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay arrived. He apologised and said that the students would be sent to the Riverside hotel in the Alsancak. Buses were proved to ferry them to the hotel.

Meanwhile Kibris Postasi reports that the Mayor of Alsancak Fırat Ataser, complained that it was unsuitable to place the students in the hotel and the municipality disapproved of the decision.

Stating that the Riverside Hotel is in a central location and the local people are uncomfortable with the situation, Ataser said, “The location of the hotel is not suitable for being a quarantine place. There are houses around the hotel. The police will not provide the necessary security measures”.

Underlining that the locals are also unhappy with the situation, Ataser said that he had conveyed these concerns to the authorities.

Kıbrıs Gazetesi, Kibris Postasi, Yeni Duzen

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The Department of Trade has fined 18 businesses that have inflated the price of their products in order to take advantage of the coronavirus panic in the country.

The agency has also launched an investigation into the activities of 33 other businesses.

Manager of the Trade Department Salih Gökpınar, said that they had received complaints that in the last four days, the price of a small bottle of water, which was 90 kuruş, had increased to 1.50 TL and domestic bottled gas prices had been hiked from 75 to 100 TL.

Gökpınar stated that his department is monitoring this situation at the moment, adding that there are people who are doing their job properly as well as those who want to abuse the situation.

The Chamber of Commerce is continuing inspections to ensure that businesses do not try and exploit the fear of the coronavirus pandemic by raising their prices.

Kıbrıs Gazetesi

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Health Minister Ali Pilli has said that another German tourist from the same group of 39 visitors, which reported the first case of coronavirus, has been diagnosed with the disease.

The first case in the south was diagnosed on March 9, and in the north on March 10, by a 65-year-old tourist from Germany.

This brings the total number of cases in North Cyprus up to 34. There are 75 confirmed cases in the south.

Tourism and Environment Minister Ünal Üstel stated that the German citizens in quarantine at the Salamis Bay Conti Hotel will be sent back to their country on charter flights provided on Tuesday, March 24.

Yeni Duzen

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The Cabinet has announced a partial curfew that will come into force as of midnight tonight.

By virtue of the authority granted to it by Article 2 of the Curfew Law (chapter 156) the Council of Ministers of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, with a view to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), declares the enforcement of a partial curfew period of 14 days commencing at midnight on the 23rd March 2020 with the exceptions mentioned below:

Within the framework of the decision taken by the Council of Ministers on measures regarding the Coronavirus all individuals, with the exception of private sector personnel who are permitted to work towards addressing basic needs as well as public sector personnel who provide crucial services (police, fire department, municipalities, civil defense, district offices ect) will be subjected to the partial curfew.

All individuals who do not fall under the category of exempt persons mentioned in paragraph 1, may only leave their residences to seek goods and services provided by those private and public personnel who-are permitted to work as stated in paragraph 1, and must return to their residence as soon as their needs have been met. They shall not leave their premises for any other purpose.

In line with the legislation in force, criminal prosecution will be carried out against those who violate the partial curfew.

BRTK

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The Merit Hotel in Nicosia has announced that its employees will have to take unpaid leave as of 1 April. Staff will be paid up to 31 March.

A statement from the hotel directorate added that staff who have been living in will continue to be provided with lunch and dinner.

Yeni Duzen

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