in-cyprus 30 September 2020 - by Constantinos Tsintas
A British peacekeeper has tested positive for coronavirus and has already been isolated, said UNFICYP’s press spokesman Aleem Siddick, confirming yesterday’s relevant health ministry statement, part of the daily announcement of new cases.
‘We can confirm that one of our peacekeepers, from the UK, has tested positive for Covid’, Siddick said, adding that the patient had been asymptomatic and was immediately isolated following the positive test.
He noted that UNFICYP had concluded relevant contact tracing to prevent the spread of the virus and was working closely with Cyprus authorities for strict adherence to all the protocols for the prevention and risk limitation protocols.
Siddick stressed that all new UNFICYP staff go through a total of 28 days in quarantine, 14 prior to their departure for Cyprus and a further two weeks following their arrival.
Five UNFICYP peacekeepers have tested positive since March 2020, four of which have made a full recovery.
The spokesman stressed that the mission’s priority is to ensure that all military staff are COVID free and UNFICYP is in line with all the UN Secretary General and Cyprus directives.