Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kudret Özersay sent a letter to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioning that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) may be the first country in the world that has not had any new Coronavirus cases for 21 days.
In his letter Özersay informed Ghebreyesus about the successful struggle of the TRNC with Covid-19 since its first confirmed case on March 10.
Özersay stated that as of May 8, the TRNC only had 108 cases with a death toll standing at four and the rest of the positive cases have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
Underlining that the country started ending its lockdown in “a phased and vigilant manner” as of May 4, he said that this success was the outcome of the dedication of the TRNC government.
Özersay added that the TRNC government took timely and necessary measures as soon as WHO announced Covid-19 as a pandemic to stem the spread of the virus, which were dedicatedly abided by the people.
He also emphasised that the decisions and measures, which allowed the country to overcome the imminent threat of virus with the least damage, were adopted based on the changing circumstances and with the necessary flexibility to revise them accordingly without any hesitation.
Özersay noted that the government supplied ventilators and medical equipment for the pandemic and tested people as much as possible, in addition to following the contacts of the positive cases.
Finally Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kudret Özersay underlined that he will share decisions and measures taken by the TRNC government in detail with WHO, in the hope that it may benefit other countries in the world as a positive model.
Noting that the pandemic hit countries and people without any discrimination, he asked WHO “to acknowledge, without discriminating on the basis of political expediency on such an eminent health issue, the important success of unrecognized Northern Cyprus against COVID-19 and publicly declare and share, as part of WHO’s official data.”
Source: TRNC Public Information Office
