The police have arrested 65 people for violating the curfew.
According to the Police Press Officer, during patrols carried out by the police across the country between 1 and 2 April, a total of 65 people were found to be violating the curfew, 14 of whom were on the street in the daytime without prior permission and 51 were out after 9pm at night.
Anyone with a special reason to leave their home in the daytime must apply for police permission using WhatsApp or applying online. There is a full curfew between 9pm-6pm.
A party of 28 German tourists flew home at 2am this morning after 14 days quarantine, the Minister of Tourism and Environment Unal Üstel, said.
The tourism minister also expressed regret that they had had to leave the TRNC under such conditions and hoped that one day they would return.
The bodies to two elderly German tourists who died from the coronavirus were placed in the plane’s cargo hold.
Noting that 878 German, French and Polish citizens were returned to their countries last week, Üstel said that after returning to their countries, the tourists had written and published letters praising North Cyprus.
Saying “health first, then the economy”, Üstel stated that the government keeps health at the front of everything it does and it is working on new measures for the near future.
“First of all, we are obliged to bring our country to a healthy and safe position”, the tourism minister said.
A specially formed Coordination Council made up of representatives of the medical associations in the country as well as the Chief Physician at the Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital Dr Adil Özyılkan and other medical experts, met on Wednesday to discuss further measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Ersin Tatar has appointed former Speaker of the Assembly Dr Sibel Siber to head up the council.
Presiding over the meeting, Prime Minister Ersin Tatar thanked all those who had contributed to the council and wished them all success.
He said that what was important was to prevent the spread of the virus and to step up efforts to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Tatar also expressed his condolences to the families of the 23 Turkish Cypriots who died in the UK from the coronavirus.
Health Minister Ali Pilli, who was also present at the meeting, thanked everyone for taking part.
The first meeting of the council lasted 5 hours and the recommendations that emerged were presented to the premier.
Their second meeting is scheduled today at the Prime Ministry.
Dockers at Famagusta Port went on a three-hour strike to protest at the lack of protective gear for workers unloading cargo vessels.
One ship had arrived from the UK but had not lain in quarantine for required 14 days. They also refused to unload another vessel from Turkey containing medical supplies.
Trade union leader Dervis Dogman said the protest was due to the lack of masks and gloves and not to wage claims. He also said that after the appearance of the coronavirus, no protective measures were taken at Customs.
He said that after contacting the Transport Ministry, they were provided with gloves and masks and were promised that the Customs buildings would be disinfected.
The Turkish Embassy in north Nicosia has announced that maritime transport between Turkey and North Cyprus has been suspended.
The decision was also sent in writing to Turkish citizens living in the TRNC, noting that it was considered necessary to terminate maritime transport as part of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Four new cases of coronavirus have been detected in North Cyprus. This brings the total of cases up to 81.
Meanwhile, 36 new cases of the virus have been found in South Cyprus, bringing the total to 356.
So far, ten patients have died of the disease in the south and two elderly German tourists died in the TRNC. Their bodies were flown back to Germany yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay has warned that it was a criminal offence to deliberately give false information regarding those who have tested positive for the coronavirus-Covid-19. He said that some patients were deliberately concealing the names of those with whom they had been in contact.
Some supermarkets in North Cyprus have begun to fit plexiglass screens to checkout desks. Supermarkets have been providing hand sanitiser and gloves at the entrance. They have also been applying queuing systems so that customers can maintain a safe distance between themselves.
Supermarkets are open between 6am-8pm and call on people to try and minimise their shopping trips to avoid crowding.
The TRNC Cabinet has issued a legal decree which imposes additional penalties for those who do not comply with the curfew.
According to the decree, those who do not comply with the curfew can be sentenced to up to one year in prison or fined up to 10% (ten percent) of the minimum wage or both.
The decree says the following:
“As it is known, the Curfew Order (156) entered into force on 31.3.2020, based on the authority granted by the Council of Ministers in order to protect the public from the Coronavirus (Covid-19), which has spread all over the world and is also seen in our country.
“However, given the seriousness and urgency of the situation we are in, it is seen that the Crime and Penalties article of the Curfew Law in question needs to be updated.
In this context, the Council of Ministers issued a decree under the Special Powers Law in order to amend the sentence set out in Article 156 of the Curfew.
“With the Decree in Force of Law, it is aimed to change the financial penalty equal to the minimum wage by 10% (ten percent) of the Article of Curfews and Penalties, as long as the Curfew Act remains in effect.
“According to the Decree under the Special Powers Law, any person who acts in contravention of the Rules of Curfew in accordance with Article 2 of the Curfew Act will commit a crime and receive up to one year imprisonment or a fine of up to 10% (ten percent) of the minimum wage or both”.
An earthquake of magnitude 5 occurred on Friday evening off the Erenköy coast.
According to the information from the Meteorology Department, an earthquake of medium severity measuring 5 on the Richter Scale was recorded at around 21:15 hours on Friday evening at the Erenköy Earthquake Station.
As a result of the first evaluation, it was determined that the epicentre of the earthquake was located at 35.78 North and 35.44 East, approximately 10 km deep under the sea north-east off Cyprus.
Transport between the Turkish mainland is being resumed, the transport ministry has said. This statement was made following an announcement by the Turkish Embassy in Nicosia which said that all maritime transport between the mainland the TRNC was to be suspended.
The transport ministry said: “This restriction does not affect Turkey’s access to the TRNC. Cargo and passengers would continue to arrive in the country, even if this occurs less frequently”.
The ministry informed that within this framework, there will be two ferry services from the ports of Mersin and Taşucu to North Cyprus and that tickets are being sold online. Noting that there will be other itineraries soon, the announcement reminds about the Cabinet decision that TRNC citizens, their spouses and children, as well as TRNC embassy staff will be allowed to enter the country. In addition, individuals holding a military border crossing document.
Travellers were also reminded that they are required to remain in quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
Meanwhile, Yeni Duzen writes that according to an announcement by the Turkish Embassy in Nicosia, another flight will be made today for Turkish citizens in North Cyprus wishing to return to Turkey by air. The announcement says that a flight to Gaziantep was made yesterday and that those wishing to leave today will have to present themselves at the embassy.
Labour and Social Security Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu, who is looking for new measures to protect private workers who have been made unemployed following the coronavirus pandemic, has criticised the cuts to low-wage workers’ pay by businesses that are continuing to operate. He warned that the ministry will not permit this.
Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu said that 1,500 Turkish Lira will be paid at the end of the month to TRNC citizens who have been unemployed and Turkish nationals who have a work permit, adding that they will not discriminate against any sector. He noted that about 50,000 people will benefit from this measure.
He explained that there will be two separate categories in the financial package for businesses which have closed and those which remain open. An announcement will be made next week regarding how the ministry will deal with employees who have been laid off.
Sucuoğlu then noted that because of the bilateral agreement with Turkey, they would also include workers who are Turkish nationals and not only workers who are citizens of the TRNC. Payments of 1,500 TL will be made to 30,000 Turkish citizens and to between 15 -20,000 Turkish nationals,
The minister noted that the government is considering giving this amount to 15,000 people who are third-country nationals and registered employees.
Meanwhile, Detay writes that the labour minister said preparations are being made to take a radical step for private sector workers. Within the framework of the financial measures decided at a Cabinet meeting on March 25, any dismissal of employees between 15 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 will be prohibited. He states that legal arrangements and measures will be announced in detail later.
There are serious concerns for many people who are renting houses and have bank loans because the exchange rate of foreign currencies against the Turkish lira (TL) is constantly rising, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday the British pound rose to 8.35 TL, the euro to 7.37 TL and the dollar to 6.73 TL.
Professor at the Cyprus University of Sciences, Dr Erdal Güryay said that foreign exchange influx is diminishing due to the severe decline in tourism and the delay of exports and imports, while the demand for foreign currency and less of the TL are increasing.
He said that coronavirus greatly affects this condition. “Production is falling, demand is falling, incomes are falling and all this is seriously affecting it”, he said, and predicted that the TL would be further depreciated if this path continued. “Turkey needs to channel money into the market to beat this stagnation”, he argued.
Prime Minister Ersin Tatar has said there is a plan to transfer students from the UK on two chartered flights on April 7 and 8, stressing that students will be transferred to relevant facilities to remain in quarantine for 14 days.
Reporting that there are currently 11 such facilities in North Cyprus, and that 873 people who came from overseas are quarantined there, Tatar said yesterday that 207 students had already completed their 14 day quarantine, so they will be re-tested for the coronavirus and if tests are negative they will be sent home.
He added that 87 students on Friday, 52 on Saturday and 349 on Sunday will return to their homes if the test results for the coronavirus are negative.
Travelling between districts is to be prohibited following the decision, taken today, by the Council of Ministers.
The restrictions come into force for five days beginning at midnight on Monday, with no transition permitted between districts.
In addition, entry and exit to Lapta, Karşıyaka and Alsancak areas will be under police control.
The government has made the new decision to increase efforts stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Exemptions
Private sector employees and public servants (police, fire brigade, municipality, civil defence, district governorships, etc.) who are allowed to work in order to meet basic needs within the framework of the measures taken by the Council of Ministers regarding the coronavirus, are exempt from the Partial Curfew.
Partial Curfew applies to everyone else apart from the previously mentioned groups.
Persons who are excluded from the scope of exemption will only be able to go out to buy goods and services from public and private institutions, whose activities are permitted, and will return to their place of residence after meeting their mandatory needs from the places closest to their residence, provided that they are limited to their districts. Otherwise people must stay at home.
Criminal prosecution will be carried out against for those who do not comply with this Partial Curfew within the framework of the legislation in force.
However, the information required for digital permit applications to be made online must be filled in accurately and completely by the applicant. The district governorships will transmit their digital permit documents via SMS to those who are evaluated and approved. With the QR code on the Digital Permission Documents, the document will be able to automatically verify documents at the police controls.
Three new cases of coronavirus have been detected among students who have been kept in quarantine in Alsancak and Famagusta.
This brings the number of those who tested positive for coronavirus-Covid-19 up to 91. Two elderly German tourists who were the first to test positive for the virus, died while on holiday in North Cyprus. Their bodies and 28 German tourists, after 14 days quarantine and further testing, were flown back to Germany last week.
In the south, there are now 426 cases of Covid-19 and 11 people have died there.
The government has reversed its decision to open some public institutions, including the Vehicle Registration Service and Post Offices.
A statement made by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport Kemal Bağzıbağlı, said that the relevant offices would not be open for service because “health safety measures were not met”.
The statement is as follows:
“A limited service plan was made only to eliminate delays in certain areas by taking the necessary health and safety measures and minimizing the risk of contamination in the Traffic Department Directorate Vehicle Registration Inspection and Licensing Office and the Postal Office Directorate affiliated to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation. However, since the health and safety measures carried out under the observation of experts have not been met, units that are were announced as providing limited service on 6 April 2020 will not be put into service. After the necessary precautions are completed and the approval of the experts, the service date will be announced again“.
Two new charter flights have been organised on 7-8 April, for around 330 citizens with permanent addresses in North Cyprus, who are in the UK for education, health or tourism reasons.
Those who want to return to the TRNC were warned that they would have to undergo 14 days quarantine in private dormitories when they arrive on the island.
The Prime Ministry Crisis Desk issued the following statement:
“While our government continues its struggle against the COVID-19 epidemic, which has affected the whole world and turned into a global crisis, on the other hand, it carries out various programmes for the return of our citizens in the UK to our country.
“Our charter flight, which was first made on 21/03/2020 to ensure that our citizens who are students in the UK are back in their countries and with their families with the closure of their schools, and are still in the UK for health and tourismreasons, especially our students.”
Over the last eight days, 414 people were arrested for violating the curfew, with Nicosia and Kyrenia being the towns with the highest number of offenders.
Police Officer announced that, between 30 March and 6 April, 414 people in North Cyprus violated the curfew.
The police said that a total of 197 people broke the daytime partial curfew, 217 people violated the curfew after 21:00 at night and 6 people had opened for business.
Following investigation, these people will be prosecuted.
The police have arrested 65 people for violating the curfew.
