TRNC government announces new measures, extends partial curfew till February, 26, some businesses to open

The Government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Friday announced new lock-down measure, extending the partial curfew until Friday, February, 26.

Prime Minister Ersan Saner in an announcement after a meeting by the Council of Ministers on Friday, said curfew will be imposed between the hours of 8:00pm to 5:00am between Monday, February 22 and Friday, February 26, and March, 1, except for meeting basic needs.       

Due to the steady decline in the number of local contamination, it has been decided to open businesses and / or activities gradually as of Monday, February 22, 2021.

There will be a all-day curfew except for shopping for basic needs on Saturday.  

-From Monday, February 22, all businesses will be closed on Sundays, except pharmacies, bakeries, butcher, greengrocer, gas station, agriculture, livestock and other related businesses will be closed on Saturdays while only pharmacies and bakeries will be opened on Sundays.

-Businesses will be able to open from 8:00am to 6:00pm from Monday to Friday, including Saturdays for markets.

-Retail and merchandising services (except supermarkets and workplaces supplying all sectors) will serve between 10:00am and 6:00pm.

-Open businesses including restaurants, cafes and buffets will be able to serve as a takeaway service. Seating areas will not be used while takeaway service will be from 7:00am to 9:00pm.

-In open businesses, there should be 5 meters square distance between individuals. Rotation and reduced personnel were recommended.

-In order to enforce social distance, enterprises should place a notice on their entrances regarding the distance and how many people can be in the enterprise, including employees.  

-In addition, businesses that provide services will work on a rotation method or with reduced personnel. People working in open sectors will repeat PCR tests every fifteen days.

-Except for Lefkosa and Kyrenia, movement to other districts will be under control of district police. District Police Boards will be authorized to give permission in order to meet and/or eliminate the essential needs that may arise other than the above.

-All students who come to the TRNC for studies will be subject to quarantine conditions according to their country's coronavirus level.

It is planned by the Ministry of National Education and Culture to permit university students to enter the country. Considering that some of the students coming to North Cyprus come from countries with high contamination numbers, it is an inevitable fact that if the specified quarantine conditions are not strictly followed, it will cause contamination in the future. For this reason, to ensure the quarantine conditions of the students to be brought to the island, the Ministry of Finance will provide security personnel at the centres where the students will be quarantined at hotels and dormitories; students must submit negative PCR tests results made in the last three days upon entering the country.

Closed Places

The following places will remain closed;

- Theater and cinema halls, performance centers, concert halls, engagement-wedding halls, birthdays, religious festivals, casinos, bars, taverns, coffeehouses and cafes, cafeterias, hookah cafes and halls, internet cafes, all kinds of game halls, indoor Children's playgrounds, clubs, swimming pools, massage salons, spa, indoor sports halls, open buffet restaurants, hairdressers, barbers, beauty salons, tattooists, open markets, night clubs, clubs, Turkish baths, saunas.

Open Places

All businesses and activities that are not stated implicitly can be open under the conditions stated below. 

-Restaurant, cafe, buffet, sandwich shops, bagel sellers, etc. services will only be provided in the form of package service, online sales and displacement. 

-Bet offices will be able to operate at the door without using seating areas.

-It will be appropriate for individuals to meet their essential needs from businesses closest to their residence.

Open institutions

Essential departments of the Ministry of Health and health personnel, the Ministry of Finance, the police, fire brigade, municipality, civil defense, district security boards, Customs, Central Prison, BRTK, TAK, TÜK, KIBTEK, Milk Institution, press employees and / or universities with yellow press cards will be able to work at full capacity.

-The personnel deemed essential to work in the Ministry, departments and institutions affiliated with the ministries will continue their duties as determined by the highest obedience superiors. 

Other details includes;

1. Since the prevalence of infection is less in Lefke-Güzelyurt-İskele-Famagusta districts and in order to prevent the spread of infection to these districts, it has been deemed appropriate that movement from Lefkosa and Girne districts to the above-mentioned districts are controlled by the District Police Boards. 

2. In all open institutions and workplaces, it is obligatory to measure fever at the entrances, to comply with the social distance rule, to make markings in order to maintain social distance to these workplaces in accordance with square meters, and to apply hygiene and disinfection conditions both inside the workplace and at the entrances and exits, and to take and implement these measures. is the employer's responsibility. 

3. Until February 28, 2021, it has been deemed appropriate to cease face-to-face education (including classroom, study, private lessons and course activities) in public and private schools, all pre-school, primary and secondary education, and to switch to online education. Considering the prevalence of the epidemic in the society and the curfew, it was decided to stop the services of private education centers. However, in the sectors that will remain open, kindergartens may be open on demand so that the services are not interrupted. 

4. It has been deemed appropriate for people residing in Northern Cyprus and transiting to Southern Cyprus for treatment purposes, if they document their appointments at the border gates, they can cross to Southern Cyprus without daily quarantine. The patient and his attendant (if necessary) who will be transferring for health purposes are required to submit the negative PCR test results made within the last 3 days upon arrival. In addition, patients and companions returning to our country after the treatment should perform PCR tests again on the seventh and fourteenth days of their entry into the country and submit the results to our Ministry. 

5. Within the scope of the Green Line Regulation, it has been deemed appropriate for persons engaged in contactless trade to trade without quarantine, provided that they obtain permission from the district police boards. 

6. It has been deemed appropriate for ambulances to pass through the Yeşilırmak Border Gate for health purposes only without quarantine. 

7. Those who reside or work in Pile will be able to pass daily without quarantine, provided that they submit negative PCR test results once in the last seven days.  

8. UN, EU, British Bases, Buffer Zone and Peace Force employees will be able to enter without quarantine, provided that they submit negative PCR test results within the last 72 hours. 

9. It is appropriate to allow only TRNC citizens and permanent residents in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Brazil, Denmark and South Africa to enter the country in the last 14 days, provided that they remain in central quarantine for 14 days. 

10. It was decided that funerals would be held with the participation of only first degree relatives. 

11. Those who reside in the North and work in Southern Cyprus or work in the North of Southern Cyprus will be able to travel daily without quarantine, provided that they submit negative PCR test results within the last 7 days. 

12. Provided that it is documented by the relevant school that there is no online education application, students residing in the North and studying in the schools specified in Southern Cyprus will be able to make a day pass without quarantine, provided that they submit negative PCR test results in the last 7 days. 

13. It is planned by the Ministry of National Education and Culture to bring university students to the island intensively. Considering that some of the students coming to our country come from high places of the contamination, it is an inevitable fact that if the specified quarantine conditions are not strictly followed, it will cause an unavoidable contamination in the future. For this reason, the quarantine conditions of the students to be brought to the island are provided by the Ministry of Finance by the Ministry of Finance, and the security personnel in the centers where the students will be quarantined are provided by the hotels and dormitories; 

14. It has been deemed appropriate for people residing in Beyarmudu to make a daily pass without quarantine in order to carry out livestock and agriculture activities in the Buffer Zone and the Bases Region. 

15. District Police Boards will be authorized to give permission in order to meet and / or eliminate the essential needs that may arise other than the above.