Cyprus’ Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou has told CNA that the great improvement in the country’s epidemiological data allows the government to go ahead with a further easing of measures in place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that both the economy and society are now unlocked and things are on the way to becoming normal. He stressed however that there should be no complacency.

“We are going ahead with building a wall of immunity with vaccinations,” Ioannou said in statements to the Cyprus News Agency, adding that the benefits of vaccinations are already evident in the results.

“I have been briefed by the contact tracing unit that the majority of positive cases are detected in the age group 20 – 40 where vaccination coverage is still reduced,” he noted.

The ages over 60, where vaccination coverage has reached over 70% have recorded a large drop in both cases and hospitalisations, he added.

Asked whether a new wave of the disease will take place in the Autumn, Ioannou said that he is not certain that this will be the case.

“We cannot exclude anything; certainly, the pandemic could flare up in the coming months, but this will depend on the course of vaccination in Cyprus,” he pointed out.

The Minister of Health further said that there are vaccines available to cover the entire population until the end of August or beginning of September.

It is up to the people to respond positively, he noted, adding that “the response so far is very encouraging.”

Possible variants appearing will also affect whether there will be sufficient vaccination coverage of the population, he said, adding that he does not think that the size of the wave of cases Cyprus faced in recent months will be repeated.

Asked when people will be allowed to stop wearing masks, Ioannou replied he cannot know.

Certainly, he added, we are already entering a type of normality with the new relaxations, he said however that “some small measures may still continue to be necessary.”

He also said that the government is waiting for experts to submit their recommendations on how to proceed with the further easing of measures. At the same time, he stressed that the people themselves constitute the solution to the problem. “If we all take individual protective measures there is nothing we should worry about,” he added.

Referring to the crossing points opening between the areas under government control and the Turkish-occupied areas, he said the Ministry’s contribution is to reach agreement on the way of controlling movement. This, he added, is nearly complete and it is now a matter of political decisions.