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1/ 2nd day of 0 new coronavirus cases in Cyprus.
Currently Cyprus is one of the most successful / under-reported examples of the "squash the virus" strategies worldwide, with better results even than some super-performers like Iceland.
Currently Cyprus is one of the most successful / under-reported examples of the "squash the virus" strategies worldwide, with better results even than some super-performers like Iceland.
2/ Probably the most important factor in the Cyprus response was taking measures *very early*. Schools closed and universities went online less than 24 hours after the first case was identified in Cyprus. A few days later a fairly strict lockdown followed.
3/ The lockdown was strict on discretionary items (only 1 outing allowed per day; retail basically closed) but porous for employers, allowing anyone to work in the office upon approval of their employer. Employers took a mixed approach - some 100% WFH; others partially open
4/ The second important aspect was ramping up high levels of testing. As of today, Cyprus has tested about 10% of the total population, one of the highest rates in the world. Testing capacity was put in place in about 7-10 days and then every day pro-active testing has occurred
5/ The 3rd aspect was excellent societal cooperation. Most importantly, the issue was not politicized by any party. The Ministry of Health, the universities and others formed a scientific advisory committee and @AnastasiadesCY gave great weight to the committee& #39;s guidance.
4/ Generally communication was very good. Minister of Health @K_Ioannou presented very well and scientists from @UNIC_ENG and @UCYOfficial were also very good, practical and down-to-earth communicators about how to approach the matter
5/ Other Ministries also were very responsive - Minister of Labour @ZetaEmilianidou and Deputy Minister Innovation @kyriac_kokkinos built the employee subsidization electronic platform in hyper-record time for Cyprus (or any) standards
6/ The results were super. 17 deaths total (one of the lowest in Europe per-capita), <1,000 cases, hospitals under control and 7 weeks later, society has almost completely re-opened. As everywhere, unavoidable large economic impact but that was always baked in from Day 1
7/ Is it time to let guard down? No! Success should be celebrated but mask usage and & #39;caution& #39; feels *too low* post-& #39;reopening& #39;, though some fatigue is understandable. The other challenge is how to manage the restart of tourism industry. Still have to be very cautious.
8/ Now, a quick side-note on size: Cyprus is not a micro-state; it is between the size of Rhode Island and Connecticut so, while it is small, I think the learnings could apply at the state level in the United States (for example)
9/ I think the important message is "if Cyprus can do it, so can [your country or state]". Cyprus is a normal Mediterranean country, somewhere in the top 30 countries in the world in level of development, with no particularly unusual characteristics to explain this success.
10/ Nothing we did cost hundreds of millions of euros, nothing required great breakthrough in science or technology. It just required mostly social and political maturity and a willingness to follow the (fairly straightforward) scientific recommendations.
11/ Hopefully, we can hold the line in Cyprus and more countries can get into the "green zone" too. Every country& #39;s success helps every other country, because if we squash it worldwide, we can keep it under control, even pre-vaccine. This should be our goal!
