Cyprus posts new high in coronavirus cases

Cyprus registered a daily record of 203 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, health authorities said, urging the public to stick to strict health protocols at a crucial point in tackling the pandemic.

The east Mediterranean island had largely kept a lid on cases by introducing an early lockdown in March, which was eased from early May onwards. After a relatively uneventful summer, cases started surging in the early part of this month.

“We are at possibly the most crucial point in the pandemic, and a possible increase in cases will, unavoidably, lead to the worst-case scenario; that unfortunately we will start counting victims, which is of course something nobody wants,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Authorities ordered that restaurants, bars and cafeterias in the populous Limassol district in the south close by 10:30 p.m. from Sunday until at least Oct. 26.

Cyprus has registered 2,581 cases of COVID-19 since March and 25 deaths.