The government of the Republic of Cyprus failed to manage the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple levels. Firstly, they failed to adopt timely measures based on the advice of scientists; rather, action was taken after the situation started to get out of hand, with public policy being dictated by private interests at the expense of public health. Secondly, even after they started issuing vague authoritarian decrees, which one after the other were revised shortly upon their announcement – half baked reactions as they were – the authorities have since failed to enforce them.

They lost the respect of the people, evident by the blatant disregard of their irrational decrees. I fear that we see out future in Greece, whose covid measures we have been copying since day one. Do those in power not go out to see what’s going on? Do they not care? Do they really think that Christmas spending and consumption is worth the lives that will inevitably be lost in the coming weeks?

I don’t know what is the situation in other districts. In Nicosia, everywhere is packed, no distances are maintained, and people generally don’t follow the protocols, and are definitely not wearing their masks correctly. It’s as if there’s no pandemic; except that cafes and restaurants close at 7pm and there’s a curfew at 9pm. Absolutely ineffective measures given that people still aggregate en masse in close spaces such as malls, churches, and in restaurants and cafes.

In the meantime, the infections are rising, and I fear that the national healthcare system is fast reaching its capacity.