Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, urged on Tuesday the citizens of Limassol to comply with measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Cyprus in a televised message, warning of possible new local and strict measures. At the same time, he noted that Cyprus is very close to finally confront the pandemic.
The President said that despite the successful management in the country, of one of the most catastrophic pandemics of humanity, recent behaviours of a minority of citizens undermine the feeling of solidarity and humanity, posing a visible danger “to what we have succeeded together”.
The President expressed his regret that he was obliged to intervene in relation to the “unacceptable” events in Limassol, where people gathered last Sunday in the city’s old port for a carnival party.
At the same time, he referred to facts concerning the city of Limassol that as he said “speak for themselves”
He noted that the second largest hospital in the country, the Limassol General Hospital, was already overcrowded, while patients from Limassol covered 70% of the available beds island wide. From March 1 until yesterday, he said, about 90% of those who lost their lives, were living permanently in Limassol, while out of a total of 4,571 new cases, 2,788, or 61%, concerned the city of Limassol.
The President urged the citizens of Limassol to realise that he will not allow the whole country to suffer due to the reckless and unconscious behaviour of a sad minority ” before the epidemiological data force us to take new strict and possibly local measures”.
He added that the call for discipline concerns all citizens, to whom he expressed the gratitude of the state for the truly exemplary compliance with the measures shown by the vast majority.
On the other hand, the President said that “we believe, not groundlessly, that we are very close to the final confrontation of the pandemic, but I want to emphasize that the battle is not over yet.”
He said he was optimistic based on the Government`s plans, concerning the preventive tests or the vaccination program.” We are a little far from returning to the living conditions that we have been deprived of for a year,” he added.
He called on the citizens to trust the handling of the state, which as he said, adding that their own sacrifices have so far made Cyprus an example of successful management of the crisis.
