Paphos Life

If you need a perfect example of what happens when you ignore the pandemic, believing it to be fake news or something that happens in a faraway country, then look no further than Cyprus.

Those who thought COVID would simply disappear – like SARS – were wrong.
The virus did not get bored of invading our bodies, we must now learn to live with it.
Just think of it as the gimp that needs to be locked under the stairs, never to be let out
Living with coronavirus does not mean pretending it can’t reach out and touch you.
It is only waiting for the right opportunity.

If Cypriots continue to adopt a casual attitude to the pandemic, we could be facing another national lockdown with jobs, education and our mental health all put at risk.
There is also the double whammy of the flu season coming, mingling another type of coronavirus where the symptoms are similar, putting the health system further under strain.

Without taking precautions, COVID will spread like wildfire as the winter months keeps us indoors breathing on each other with minimal ventilation.
People want to carry on as before, but these are not normal times, COVID will probably be a seasonal thing arriving in various degrees of severity.

https://www.financialmirror.com/2020/09 ... ignorance/

The number of Covid-19 patients treated at Famagusta General Hospital, which acts as the island’s reference medical centre, has risen to 18 over the recent past days, Philenews reports.

Four are in intensive care unit while the condition of all 18 is described as stable.

At the same time, the Eden Resort Rehabilitation Centre in Tersefanou is currently hosting 54 people who will remain there until they have fully recuperated.

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/number- ... increases/

After reading so many articles about people who show no symptoms which I believe has led to the relaxation of basic measures by some members of the general public, I find it somewhat disturbing to read the above article.

I went shopping in two supermarkets today and everybody without exception was wearing a mask. People do take this very seriously.

Where I am, in Scotland, until next week, when I am in Peyia, everyone wears masks in shops etc. Many even on the streets. Almost 100% compliance.

Dominic wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:05 pm I went shopping in two supermarkets today and everybody without exception was wearing a mask. People do take this very seriously.

1. when you say that everybody was wearing a mask, were they wearing it correctly?
2. were the same people respecting the social distance?
3. how many of the people who were wearing masks had been wearing the same ones for the last two weeks?

I think a large percentage of people that live in an area respect the rules, but according to friends and relative in popular holiday locations in the U.K. said that a large percentage of people on holiday didn’t respect the government’s guidelines with the standard phrase “ we’ve come here to get away from all that Covid” hence the daily rising figures there

Good point Devil about wearing the same mask continually

Devil wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:29 pm

Dominic wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:05 pm I went shopping in two supermarkets today and everybody without exception was wearing a mask. People do take this very seriously.

1. when you say that everybody was wearing a mask, were they wearing it correctly?
2. were the same people respecting the social distance?
3. how many of the people who were wearing masks had been wearing the same ones for the last two weeks?

1. Yes I checked them all personally.
2. Yes, they all had really big hula hoops and were avoiding each other by doing the hula. In Lidl this was even piped through the tannoy, and the beggar outside was also playing a suitable calypso, which makes a change from her usual drone.
3. 0.452% but they explained that that was because they didn't get out much.

Dominic wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:14 pm

Devil wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:29 pm

Dominic wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:05 pm I went shopping in two supermarkets today and everybody without exception was wearing a mask. People do take this very seriously.

1. when you say that everybody was wearing a mask, were they wearing it correctly?
2. were the same people respecting the social distance?
3. how many of the people who were wearing masks had been wearing the same ones for the last two weeks?

1. Yes I checked them all personally.
2. Yes, they all had really big hula hoops and were avoiding each other by doing the hula. In Lidl this was even piped through the tannoy, and the beggar outside was also playing a suitable calypso, which makes a change from her usual drone.
3. 0.452% but they explained that that was because they didn't get out much.

I think we all know that Devil was making a valid point about the precautions and you have attempted to make a joke out of it in what I consider to be poor taste!

An elderly lady sitting in the hotel restaurant came to sit at the opposite end of a table next to us at the hotel we were staying in just recently.

Her mask was disposable and was once white. It was filthy and while she was eating, she wore it under her chin.

That was a Russian guest.

mike strand2 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:00 am I think we all know that Devil was making a valid point about the precautions and you have attempted to make a joke out of it in what I consider to be poor taste!

Nobody is forcing you to post here.

Devil is making a very valid point about the cleanliness of masks. In March, when we arrived, the elderly man sat next to us on the plane wore a once white mask which was grey with dirt. Luckily, our plane was half empty and the steward asked him if he wanted to move to an empty row. Masks are like knickers, when they are damp they need washing. Also, social distancing is still not always being observed by the local population, regardless of nationality. In Alpha Mega, I waited for what seemed like ages for a man to pick his potatoes, keeping the two metre rule. As soon as it was my turn, an elderly , very posh, British lady came and was brushing against me as I picked my spuds. When I said to her, what about the two metre rule, she said, dont worry, there are no cases here in Cyprus. I made a comment to her regarding the number of cases and went back after she had finished to finish my selection. Also, another elderly Brit sneezed all over the grapes without covering his hand over his mask. We went to the chippy in Mandria on a Thursday a couple of weeks ago, and although the tables were all spaced out, many of the British people there were totally ignoring social distancing and were quite aggressive when I said, two metres distance please. The table next to us was visited by another huge group of people, as we were eating our meal and this additional group were cms away from us.
We are still being very careful and trying not to put ourselves at risk. We were doing our shopping early on weekday mornings, but have found that since the schools went back, 7am can be quite busy in Lidl, so are now going at siesta time or early on Sunday mornings, when Lidl open at 8 and AlphaMega at 9.
Stay safe everyone and do everything you can to avoid becoming infected.

And did you report it to the authorities? Or did you just mention it on social media?

I watched 4 young men walk into a bakery yesterday without masks! They appeared totally unconcerned.

Sadly, because you haven't mentioned it, the Bakery did not send them out again

Dominic, as a matter of fact I did mention it to the assistant who was weighing peoples goods. He got someone to take the grapes off the display. And with most people, if you mention that they are breaking the two metre rule, you are met with denial or abuse. We now make sure our trolley is behind us in the checkout queues.
I mentioned it on here because I thought it might add to the discussion and support Devil's view.

Agree that social distancing tends to be ignored in shops and supermarkets so I ensure I keep my distance from other people ........... and woe betide any customer who gets too close to me as I am quite happy to hold up all proceedings until they have moved back to the required distance. A trolley is indeed an effective barrier to keep people away! As for wearing face masks, already noticed one advantage is that many people are no longer to cough/sneeze over everybody and everything, so that should help reduce the number of sore throats/chest infections.

An increasing number of coronavirus cases are expected in the coming days, according to the latest data, field epidemiologist, Valentinos Silvestros, said. There were 30 Covid cases recorded on Tuesday, the highest daily tally in months.

Silvestros told CNA, the tracking team has to deal with a large number of contacts from each case due to the family, professional and social activity of each person who tests positive for the virus.

“We are definitely expecting an increasing number because there are already active chains and some of the contacts of existing cases have also reported symptoms so they are very likely to be diagnosed as cases,” he said.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/09/30/coro ... t-tracers/

Covid patients being treated at the Famagusta General Hospital, the referral institution for the disease are now down to 12, as four people were discharged yesterday, following repeat testing.

A 24 year old woman, the youngest patient of the pandemic in Cyprus remains in stable condition.

Fifty nine people are currently being treated at the Eden Resort Rehabilitation Centre in Tersefanou and will remain there until full recovery.
https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/hospita ... nt-stable/

I don't intend to keep posting articles - just thought it may help give people a snapshot of the current situation. Very happy with the way the authorities check and follow up cases and take appropriate action as required. Must say I haven't felt so well for a very long time - long may it last!

Couldn't agree more. The increase in cases doesn't alarm me, because the authorities are actively seeking them out, and doing a good job of it too.