The Cabinet approved on Wednesday a proposal by the Minister of Health, Constantinos Ioannou, to conduct 1,000 random laboratory tests for COVID-19, on recruits about to join the National Guard.

There will be a total of 1,000 tests for COVID-19 throughout Cyprus, according to an announcement circulated by PIO. Tests will be done on a random basis and will not be conducted on the entire National Guard personnel, it is added.

All new recruits will be entitled to participate in the testing program, priority however will be given to those who have not been tested in the framework of a Ministry of Education program for 20,000 pupils and school personnel, the announcement says.

The Ministry of Defence will coordinate the program and will select participants, after consulting laboratories that will do the tests, the announcement concludes.