MEDICAL WORKERS FEARS

On Thursday, medical unions and health workers staged a protest in front of the Lefkoşa state hospital holding a banner that read: “Coronavirus is on the way here. Where is the pandemic hospital?”

Kamu-Sen public workers trade union head Metin Atan said the government was “uncompromising,” adding: “We have not got enough medical staff, materials and equipment to cope. We have no pandemic hospital if there is an outbreak”.

Nursing and Midwife trade union head Ali Özgöçmen claimed Dr Pilli “did not own up to the medical workers or the public.

“Science and logic has never been deceived, but the government has been deceived. Is this how they are going to fight against this virus?”

KTAMS public workers trade union head Güven Bengihan said: “The country does not deserve this government or its health minister. How on earth can a pandemic hospital not be built, no effective measures taken, while opening the doors of North Cyprus to high risk countries?”

Tıp-İş medical union head Ahmet Varış said this was the “last warning” to the government, adding “Some countries have paid the price dearly because of not taking the correct measures against the virus”.

Speaking to Cyprus Today – Cyprus Turkish Travel Agents

Union head Orhan Tolun, whose organisation had lobbied the government to open its doors to tourists said: “It should be known that there are one-to-two Covid19 cases in South Cyprus every day. This virus exists in other countries and there is no such panic. We cannot allow North Cyprus to be closed for ever.

“What needs to be done is to have measures that best protect our health, but which also allow for the tourism and economy of the country to breathe.”

Mr Tolun said he had supported the new measure of confining passengers to a state supervised quarantine and for two PCR tests to be carried out.

Meanwhile, the Government said yesterday it had also banned the arrival of private jets into the country until July 6, subject to review.

A senior government official who wished not to be named told Cyprus Today last night that ‘non Cypriot’ nationals who wanted to cross to the TRNC from South Cyprus are being refused by the Greek Cypriot