TRNC government introduced nationwide lock-down until February, 3

The TRNC government has introduced a nationwide lock-down until Wednesday, February, 3.

TRNC Prime Minister Ersan Saner made the announcement on Thursday evening following a meeting by the Council of Ministers.

The full curfew across the country will last until 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 3.

Meanwhile, the lockdown imposed in Lefkosa is still valid while the one imposed in Kyrenia will continue until February, 10.

Also, the Supreme Committee on Infectious diseases made a new decisions on Thursday.

The Supreme Committee on Infectious diseases new decisions reads;

Local transmission has increased with the increasing number of local cases in our country and the increase in contact persons accordingly. In addition, patients who are positive for Covid19 are prevented from giving information about their contacts, encouraged to give false and / or incomplete statements, and the contacts' hiding themselves is a big problem.

In addition to all these, the fact that people with symptoms do not apply to health services on time and go to their workplaces and continue their social life without isolating themselves, causing an increase in the number of contacts and making it difficult to control local contamination.

It is an inevitable fact that the number of beds, services, and healthcare personnel serving in the hospital will be insufficient due to the increasing number of symptomatic patients who are positive for Covid 19 and need to be treated in the hospital. When all these are taken into account and / or observed, it was predicted that there will be a sudden increase in the number of cases. The decisions taken were made in line with this prediction in order to prevent our health system from a burden that it cannot bear and to keep the epidemic under control.

In line with the decisions taken by the Supreme Committee on Infectious diseases Law 45/2018, the Ministry of Health has decided to implement the following Additional Precautionary Decisions.

1. All quarantine decision for people coming to the TRNC has been extend until January,31, 2021 until a new decision is made.

2. Until the re-evaluation to be made on Tuesday, February,2, 2021 due to the increasing local contamination throughout the TRNC;

-Lockdown will continue in Kyrenia district until February, 10, 2021.

-In all other districts (Famagusta, Güzelyurt, Iskele, Lefke), it has been decided to close / suspend all activities and workplaces other than the ones listed below from 12:01am on Friday, January, 29 to February, 3, 2021.

Services that will remain open; 

- Businesses serving within the framework of meeting basic needs such as pharmacies, gas stations, bakeries, butchers, markets and their suppliers will open between 6:00am and 7:00pm).

Only take-away services will be allowed in restaurants between 6:00am and 11:59pm.

- Auto vehicle recovery, emergency breakdown services of internet service providers will continue.

- Private security service companies will continue its service.

- Water and beverage producers, distributors and sellers will continue to serve

- Livestock, agriculture, food, agricultural service and the activities of suppliers of needs belonging to these sectors will continue its service.

- It has been deemed appropriate for mask and personal protective equipment manufacturers to continue their activities.

3. It has been decided to stop the entrances and exits between the districts. In this process, police, health, fire brigade, civil aviation, printers, electricity institutions, municipalities, banks and accountants, yellow press card holders and / or press employees residing in the districts will be able to continue their entry and exit, provided that they document them.

4. Implementation of a full-time curfew across the country is recommended by the board.

5. It has been deemed appropriate to stop face-to-face education (including private teaching institutions, private lessons and course activities) in public and private schools, all pre-school, primary and secondary education, and to switch to online education until February 10, 2021. This application does not include kindergartens and special education centers.

6. Patients residing in Northern Cyprus and receiving routine treatment / treatments in Southern Cyprus are deemed appropriate to move to Southern Cyprus without daily quarantine in order to avoid suffering and to complete their treatment. The patient and his attendant (if necessary) who will be transferring for health purposes are required to submit the negative PCR test results made within the last 3 days upon arrival. In addition, patients and companions returning to our country after the treatment should perform PCR tests again on the seventh and fourteenth days of their entry into the country, and submit the results to our Ministry.

7. Within the scope of the Green Line Regulation, it has been deemed appropriate for people engaged in contactless trade to trade without quarantine.

8. It has been deemed appropriate for ambulances to pass through the Yeşilırmak Border Gate for health purposes only without quarantine, and other passages are subject to quarantine.

9. Persons residing or working in Pile will be able to transfer without quarantine, provided that they submit the current negative PCR test results within 72 hours.

10. UN, EU, British Bases, Buffer Zone and Peace Corps staff will be able to enter without quarantine, provided that they submit negative PCR test results within the last 72 hours.

11. It was decided to hold funerals with the participation of only first degree relatives.

12. It has been decided to stop the team sports training and competitions until the next decision.

13. It has been decided that the passage of persons residing in the North and working in Southern Cyprus is subject to quarantine until the next decision.

14. It has been decided that the passage of persons residing in the South and working in Northern Cyprus will be subject to quarantine until the next decision.

15. It has been deemed appropriate for people residing in Beyarmudu to cross daily to the Bases Region without quarantine in order to carry out their livestock and agricultural activities in the Bases Region.

16. Workplace opening ceremonies, weddings, cinema, theater, birthday, collective worship, engagement, wedding, religious festival, etc. it was decided to extend the decision on cessation of operations until the next decision.

17. It has been deemed necessary to stop home visits and to ensure that family members other than the nuclear family do not come together.