The Cypriot government is ready to consider the introduction of a total lockdown in the country – to two options for tightening quarantine measures was added a third, the strictest. This is reported by Philenews, citing its own sources.

Recall, earlier it was known about the two packages of “anticovoid” measures, which on January 7 should be agreed by the Cypriot Cabinet.
The mildest version involves the closure of some educational institutions and some businesses in the services sector – for example, beauty salons and hairdressers. Most public services would be put online, and school vacations would be extended to January 18.
The second variant is roughly identical to the measures used during the first lockdown in spring, with the difference that it is not planned to close the borders and citizens will still be allowed to go out on the streets.
The new, third option promises even tougher restrictions for Cypriots than in the spring. Most likely, they will be allowed to go out no more than twice a day by SMS. Strict measures will be imposed in all sectors of the economy.

The lockdown will probably begin on January 10 and last until the end of the month. However, epidemiologists are not sure that three weeks will be enough to cope with the spread of infection and to ease the burden on hospitals.

The situation is complicated by financial uncertainty. Recall, the Cypriot budget for 2021 is still pending; in addition, the Ministry of Labor admitted that there are no funds to support the unemployed and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.