NICOSIA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus is seeing a rise in COVID-19 infections after the easing of restrictive rules, including in travel, according to data released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry said 13 new cases were detected in the last 24 hours, raising the total to 1,080. Meanwhile, cases increased by 81 since the beginning of July, compared to an increase of only 50 in June.
European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides said after meeting Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou in Nicosia that she is concerned over the increase of COVID-19 infections in the past few days.
"The increase shows that part of the population does not take necessary protection measures and disregards safety rules," Kyriakides said.
The commissioner said she discussed with Ioannou aspects of the pandemic both on national and international levels.
Infections in Cyprus over the last 10 days centered in the southern city of Limassol, where several new hotspots were detected, including in a popular restaurant in the city's marina, a favorite spot for outings.
The Health Ministry had announced seven new cases in the city on Tuesday, on top of three the day before.
Ioannou said that several of the new infections were related to travel, but he also expressed concern over the fact that no origin was traced for a number of the new infections.
In an effort to fight rising infections, health authorities and the Limassol Town Hall announced a new sampling campaign to test 3,000 people working in places of public hospitality and the traveling personnel of shipping agencies.
They also launched a new blanket campaign to test 5,000 members of the public by mobile units which will visit places where people gather in large numbers, such as sea-side meeting points and entertainment spots. Enditem
