Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

19 COVID-19 – Impact and actions KEY GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES Throughout the pandemic, the top priority of the Government has been the protection and health of its citizens as well as the provision of support for the social and economic fallout of the pandemic. The national actions targeted the focal areas of public health, economy, education, society, and the environment. Adhering to the leaving no one behind principle, Cyprus has implemented a set of noteworthy initiatives. PUBLIC HEALTH The recently implemented (June 2019) General Health System (GHS) of Cyprus has been under increased pressure to tackle the health challenges posed by the pandemic. The Government has taken specific measures to support GHS and the healthcare sector. Key initiatives include: • Amendment of the Infectious Diseases Law with the aim of containing the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus disease. The Ministry of Heath has been granted with the authority to issue relevant decrees and guidelines to ensure the protection of public health during the pandemic. • Establishment of an Advisory Scientific Committee, under the President of the Republic, which reviews the current epidemiological outlook of the country for the Coronavirus. • Provision of free tests and tracing on a wide scale. • Free Covid vaccination programme. • Increase of the number of doctors, nurses and paramedical personnel as well as the extension and upgrade of the wards and equipment used for the care and treatment of the COVID-19 patients. • Public inspectors were properly trained and until today are carrying out inspections at workplace premises, to ensure the implementation of preventive and protective measures against COVID-19 and eliminate its spread. • In collaboration with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), the OiRA COVID-19, an online interactive risk assessment tool, was adopted. ECONOMY During the pre-covid era, Cyprus has shown growth in per capita GDP for five consecutive years, a decline in unemployment, a significant reduction in non-performing loans, and a reduction in already high private and public sector debt. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the economy as a whole and on the labour market, causing an increase in unemployment and forcing a great number of enterprises to temporarily suspend their operations. Furthermore, the tourist sector, a key pillar of the Cyprus economy, has taken the greatest blow due to the banning of travel. To alleviate the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy, the Government has adopted a generous fiscal package, amounting to budgetary interventions estimated at around €2.6 billion amounting to 12.5% of GDP. Key initiatives include: • Subsidisation scheme for small enterprises and the self-employed. • Scheme supporting companies for total or partial suspension of their operations. • Special scheme for hotel units and tourist accommodation. • Special scheme to support businesses related to the tourism industry or businesses directly affected by tourism. • A total of 14 special schemes were implemented to provide financial help, such as wage compensation for affected employees including the self-employed, working parents, and employees in small businesses and businesses which had to suspend their operations totally or partially. • The Government implemented schemes targeted at the training of the employed in specific economic sectors affected by the pandemic, and the provision of training and work experience to the unemployed. • Cyprus, in accordance with the rest of the members of the EU, has supported efforts to relief the debt of mainly African countries, which emerged as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.