Important changes came in effect as of January 1 on the way mail can be sent overseas, Cyprus Post has announced.

The health ministry on Thursday published an update from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the body in charge of the evaluation of medicinal products, on the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, one of the vaccines Cyprus has ordered to combat the spread of the virus.

Cyprus has renewed an obligatory seven-day quarantine for all passengers arriving from the U.K., to prevent the spread of a virulent new strain of coronavirus found recently in Britain.

Health officials in the Republic of Cyprus have confirmed a new strain of the coronavirus found in the UK late last year has also been found on the island, with experts saying the new variant has a much higher infection rate.

Economic climate in Cyprus moved upward in December with businesses and consumers feeling upbeat due to the vaccine against the covid-19 virus, the University of Cyprus’ Economic Research Centre has said.

The Cyprus tourism sector marked an 85.1% drop in revenue over the first ten months of 2020, data released by the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat) on Wednesday show.

More than 850,000 beneficiaries have signed up with the general health scheme (Gesy), the health insurance organisation (HIO) said on Wednesday as it hailed the scheme’s first 18 months of operation as a success.

The pandemic in Cyprus in 2020 can be generally divided into four stages.

People over 80 who are not care home residents will start receiving Covid jabs after January 6, as vaccinations move into the second stage, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The holiday period appears to have taken its toll on the local coronavirus pandemic as Cyprus announced a record high 751 new cases on Monday, with the Health Ministry following up on Tuesday with stricter restrictions just days before New Year’s Eve.