The Cabinet will convene on Friday instead of Thursday to decide on new measures to contain the spread of COVID pandemic. Government Spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said that it was necessary reschedule the meeting, as Ministers needed more time to go through their planning and table their strategies.

The new measures as well as the new schemes prepared by the Ministries of Labor and Finance will be announced after the Cabinet meeting, Koushos said in a written statement.

He noted that yesterday afternoon the President held a meeting with the Inter-Ministerial Committee and assessed the proposals submitted by the Scientific Committee yesterday morning. Koushos said that the Ministers agreed on the need to take additional measures. He also recalled that the Scientific Committee took stock of the fact that Cyprus is in a much better situation than other countries, especially in the EU and this is reflected on the epidemiological figures.

Koushos said that the Health Minister will work on the new measures while Labor and Finance Ministers will evaluate these measures and decide on the fiscal policy and the new schemes to support those in need.

According to Cyprus News Agency information, the measures will probably provide for a general lockdown as the one last March when the pandemic broke out, in order to decongest the health system, as the situation is alarming and to help curbing the transmission of the virus in the community.

Supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations and possibly the construction sector will remain open while remote learning will be introduced. The new measures will most probably be in place for a minimum of 3 weeks.