Category: News

Posted on

Cyprus now has full 5G coverage

Cyprus now has full 5G coverage

Cyprus now has full 5G coverage

The first EU member to achieve blanket coverage

 

Cyprus has become the first EU member-state to achieve 100 per cent 5G population coverage, even in its remotest areas, Cyta announced on Monday.

A small ceremony was organised by Sykopetra community to celebrate the instalment of the last 5G antenna in the network, in the presence of Research, Innovation & Digital Policy deputy minister Kyriacos Kokkinos and other officials.

Acknowledging Cyta’s key role in the country’s digital transition, Kokkinos said that “the immediate availability of networks and services in every corner of Cyprus contributes to enhancing the country and its people’s digital maturity, and by extension to shielding the resilience of its economy”.

 

Commissioner for mountain areas Costas Hambiaouris said he was pleased with Cyta’s commitment to providing cutting-edge technology even in remote areas.

“Cyta is one of the key pillars in the efforts to create a basic development policy for mountain areas, which concerns the promotion of the digital transition, the effective creation of infrastructures and the development of services, with the aim of modernising the mountainous areas and improving the technological accessibility, both for the residents and for the businesses,” he said.

“This is an achievement no other country has reached so far,” Cyta president Michalis Ioannides said on Cyta reaching 100 per cent 5G population coverage across the island.

“For us at Cyta, it is important that all Cypriots participate in the digital transition. Because we are one country, in the same speed, equal in the world of communications”.

For his part, Cyta CEO Andreas Neocleous said that growth is for everyone, and nobody should be left in the sidelines.

“Technology and its benefits can now be accessed all over Cyprus, even in its most remote areas, proving that for Cyta actions speak louder than the words”.

Sykopetra community leader Charalambos Charalambous, thanked Cyta for not leaving the mountain communities behind, noting that technology is a basic condition for them to be able to continue to grow and progress.

Posted on

October tourist spending hits record high

October 2021 was the most profitable October for the tourism sector as income from tourists holidaying on the island hit an all-time high for the month.

According to data by the Cyprus Statistical Service, revenue from tourism in October exceeded those recorded for the same month pre-coronavirus.

It crushed income recorded in 2019, which saw record tourist arrivals.

Revenues from tourism in October was €310.2 mln, up from €77.4 mln in October 2020, recording an increase of 300.8%.

A small increase of 3.6% was recorded compared to tourist spending in October 2019 of €299.4 mln.

Last October, the increase in tourism revenues was largely due to the jump in visitors, as it was the best month for arrivals, surpassing July and August.

Arrivals in October reached 391,638, an increase of 288.6% from 2020.

Compared to October 2019, tourist arrivals were only by 10.3% less.

In the first nine months of 2021, the average amount tourists spent was €804, compared to €685 in January-September 2019, recording an increase of about 17%.

October’s tourism revenues ensured the shortfall was restricted to 46.5% from 2019.

For January – October 2021, revenues from tourism are estimated at €1.35 bln compared to €376.3 mln in 2020, an increase of 260.2%.

Compared to the same 10-months of 2019, there is a 46.5% revenue decrease (€2.5 bln).

In November, arrivals reached 148,973 from 8,952 in 2020 and 169,392 in November 2019.

For the 11 months January – November 2021, tourist arrivals reached 1.84 mln compared to 621,927 in 2020, an increase of 195.9%.

There was a decline of 52.4% compared to January – November 2019 (3,866,447 arrivals).

Posted on

Coronavirus Updates

The cabinet on Wednesday took a series of new decisions regarding school and travel measures, and rules concerning visits to nursing homes.

The three changes are that from January 17 to February 16, a ‘test to stay’ policy is being introduced in primary and secondary schools with the aim of keeping schools operational and detecting positive cases in a timely manner, the cabinet said.

Under the rule, close contacts of confirmed cases that have no history of vaccination, instead of being restricted, will undergo a daily rapid test for a period of five days.

This decision concerns only the students, and the rapid test will be carried out by the mobile units of the ministry of health that will visit the schools.

Secondly, from January 13, the ban on visits to nursing homes and closed structure such as institutions will be lifted but only with entry to those who have completed their vaccination programme and that a period of seven months has not elapsed, or that they have a recovery cert not older than 90 days, or those who have had a third shot. The people in the three categories must also present a negative rapid test not older than 24 hours.

The third change relates to travel.

As of Friday from 5am and on, people travelling to Cyprus aged 12 and above will have the option of presenting the authorities on arrival either a PCR test taken no longer than 72 hours before departure or a rapid test taken no longer than 24 hours before departure, regardless of their vaccination history.

Arrivals, who may have been infected before travelling here, must have passed 10 days from the date they tested positive.

Passengers will still need to undergo a PCR test on arrival, regardless of their vaccination history. The cost of the test is €15 at Larnaca airport and €19 at Paphos airport.

In addition to that, all passengers aged 12 and above are required to undergo a rapid test 72 hours after their arrival, with the exception of those who have received the booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Passengers are reminded that filling in a Cyprus Flight Pass before their trip remains compulsory.

The cabinet decided to keep the other existing measures in place until January 31.

“The rapid deterioration of epidemiological indicators recorded in Cyprus in recent weeks due to the predominance of the Omicron variant leaves us no room for complacency,” a statement with the decisions said.

The ministry said it was constantly on alert and evaluating the scientific data with the team of experts.

“Our guide is the safest operation of society with the aim of protecting and safeguarding the health of all our citizens and especially of our vulnerable groups,” it added.

With a positivity rate of more than 3 per cent and more than 28,000 thousand cases since the last meeting of the Council of Ministers, the ministry said, the hospitals were working tirelessly to respond to the increased number of hospitalisations.

“Following the suggestions of the scientists, at this stage it was deemed necessary to take further protective measures in the schools, in order for the schools to remain in operation and to detect the positive cases of coronavirus in time, without depriving students of their basic right to education,” it concluded.

Posted on

Pope urges dialogue in Cyprus

Pope urges dialogue in Cyprus

 Pope Francis on Thursday urged Cypriots to seek dialogue to heal the “terrible laceration” that has divided their island for nearly half a century, saying neither side should use force or threats.

Francis, 84, started his first trip to Cyprus with a visit to the island’s Maronite cathedral, where he lauded Cyprus for its handling of a refugee influx authorities say is becoming overwhelming.

But he saved his most powerful words about the island’s stagnant political situation for an address to leaders and diplomats at the presidential palace.

“The greatest wound suffered by this land has been the terrible laceration it has endured in recent decades. I think of the deep suffering of all those people unable to return to their homes and their places of worship,” Pope Francis said.

Cyprus has been split in two since a 1974 Turkish invasion triggered by a Greek-inspired coup, though the seeds of conflict were sown earlier soon after independence from Britain in 1960.

Countless mediation attempts have failed and the peace process stalled in mid-2017, when talks collapsed. Tens of thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriot are internally displaced.

Francis said the only word on the signpost towards peace was dialogue.

“We know that it is no easy road; it is long and winding, but there is no other way to achieve reconciliation.”

Francis is visiting the southern parts of the island, controlled by the internationally-recognised Cyprus government. A Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in northern Cyprus is recognised only by Ankara.

“The people of Cyprus lived through, and know better than anyone the pain of being uprooted from their homes, becoming refugees,” Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said.

Nicosia is one of the world’s last divided capitals and the Vatican embassy where the pope will be staying is right on the dividing line. A wall in the back garden of the embassy is lined with barbed wire, and beyond that, the Turkish Cypriot side of Nicosia.

The church in the compound that houses the embassy still bears scars from the crossfire of ethnic strife.

Francis, who shuns large, bulletproof cars, travelled in a small black Fiat 500 with open windows. He was greeted with cheers and applause as the vehicle navigated the capital’s narrow streets.

Cyprus says it is struggling to cope with an influx of undocumented migrants, through the dividing line splitting the island or by boats from the neighbouring Middle East. KBN2IF0YM

“By your spirit of fraternity, you can remind everyone, and

Europe as a whole, that we need to work together to build a future worthy of humanity, to overcome divisions, to break down walls, to dream and work for unity,” Francis said at the Maronite cathedral.

Francis, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a cornerstone of his papacy, has arranged to have 50 migrants relocated to Italy after his trip this week. He will also travel to Greece, including Lesbos Island, where many refugees have arrived.

Posted on

Cyprus business update

According to a report released by the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat) this week, Cyprus’ GDP growth rate in real terms during the third quarter of 2021 is positive and estimated at 5.5 per cent year-on-year.

Based on seasonally and working day adjusted data, GDP growth rate in real terms is estimated at 5.6 per cent.

The positive GDP growth rate is mainly attributed to the sectors of hotels and restaurants, manufacturing, transport, storage and communication, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor Vehicles, the arts, entertainment and recreation, as well as other service activities.

The Turnover Value Index of Retail Trade, excluding motor vehicles, for September 2021 rose by 12.4 per cent compared to the corresponding month of the previous year, according to the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

For the same month, the Turnover Volume Index of Retail Trade rose by 7.7 per cent compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

For the period between January and September of 2021, the value index is estimated to have recorded an increase of 9.3 per cent, while the volume index rose by 7.9 per cent year-on-year.

The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) ended Thursday, December 2 with minor profits.

The main Cyprus Stock Market Index was at 67.51 points at 13:022 during the day, reflecting a rise of 0.24 per cent over the previous day of trading, while the FTSE / CySE 20 Index was at 40.43 points.

The total value of transactions came up to €33,842.

In terms of sub-indexes, the invest firm index rose by 1.47 per cent, while the main index rose by 0.73 per cent. The alternative index fell by 0.23 per cent, while the hotel index remained stable.

The biggest investment interest was attracted by Petrolina (no change), Louis (+9.71 per cent), Bank of Cyprus (-0.93 per cent), Logicom (-1.88 per cent) and Atlantic Insurance (+1.23 per cent).