Day: January 20, 2022

The European Commission announced the launch of the EU Scholarship Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community for the Academic Year 2022/23 funded under the Aid Programme, which will award grants to approximately 140 Turkish Cypriot students, graduates and professionals.

 

The scholarship programme is funded as part of the Aid Programme to support the reunification of Cyprus through which the EU has been providing financial assistance to the Turkish Cypriot community since 2007, in order to promote EU values and a conducive environment for further development of trust, dialogue and co-operation between the Cypriot communities, as well as to help with the integration of the Turkish Cypriot community into the wider Union.

 

More than 1,800 individuals in the Turkish Cypriot community have already benefited from EU Scholarship grants since 2007.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Commission announced on Thursday that it has approved a 2 million euro Cypriot scheme to support tour operators affected by the coronavirus pandemic, as it was found to be in line with the EU’s state aid temporary framework.

 

The state aid will take the form of direct grants to tour operators active in the Republic of Cyprus that have concluded contracts with air carriers travelling to Cyprus via the airports of Larnaca and Paphos.

 

The purpose of the scheme is to incentivize incoming tourism, while indirectly benefitting many related businesses such as hotels, restaurants, the food industry, cultural and sports events.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Dark red level remains as regards the crossings in Cyprus and adjusted measures will be put in effect as of Monday January 24 , the United Nations announced Thursday.

 

A statement by the United Nations Spokesperson in Cyprus says that “as per the agreement of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Ersin Tatar, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, of 2 June, the Technical Committee on Health has continuously assessed the dynamic epidemiological situation and measures to be applied at the crossing points, as appropriate”.

 

The statement says that based on the Committees assessment of 19 January 2022, the situation is determined to remain at Level 3 (dark red), and the following adjusted measures will be applied at all crossings points as of Monday 24 January (9am).

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

More and more areas in eastern Europe that had been holding out, remaining in the red category of the epidemiological map of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), have now passed into the deep red category according to the latest edition of the map.

 

The rapid spread of the virus in the past few weeks resulted in most countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area being classified in the category that denotes the largest notification rates currently being measured.

 

Cyprus, along with most countries of the EU/EEA, remain in the deep red category.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

 

Endemicity of COVID has not been on the table in Cyprus, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said, noting that what has been discussed is how to learn to live with the virus.

 

Speaking to the press Thursday at the Parliament, the Minister said that if the measure “test to stay” which will be introduced in schools Monday, yields results, it is likely to be applied to other groups of population so that we can move to the endemicity phase.

 

He said that there is a major possibility the scientists to advise for the measure to be introduced in the wider society, and in particular in the health professionals and the security forces.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency