Two people suspected of having the coronavirus were put in isolation late on Friday, one of them has recently returned from China.
A Chinese man suspected of having the coronavirus was hospitalised in Nicosia general, the ministry of health tweeted on Friday night, although there were no details of the whereabouts of the second.
The man, said to be 22, of Chinese origin who is permanent resident of Cyprus, returned to the island in the last couple of days and was scanned at the airport and after he was diagnosed with high fever, was taken to Nicosia General.
Media sources said the man visited a low-risk part of China, where no cases of the virus had been reported.
The man is currently in isolation with symptoms similar to the coronavirus. The second person put in quarantine is believed to be a close relative and is there as a precaution.
The tests to determine whether the man is infected with coronavirus were sent to a laboratory in Athens, Greece for examination and the results are expected on Monday.
The ministry of health said the agreed protocol to deal with cases of the coronavirus was followed.
It said doctors who examined the man excluded the possibility of Type A flu virus.
Cyprus started selective scanning of passengers arriving from China at the airports, while quarantine rooms were assigned at Nicosia General this week.
Earlier in the day it was announced the leaders of the two communities will meet on Monday to be briefed about the best ways of cooperation to tackle the coronavirus.
According to a presidency announcement, President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will meet at the Ledra Palace hotel on Monday at 7pm to discuss joint measures against the virus.
The meeting will take place 30 minutes before their scheduled appearance at an event hosted by the bicommunal technical committee on culture.
The bicommunal technical committee on health will be meeting at the Ledra Palace 6pm at the behest of the two leaders.
It followed a phone call between Anastasiades and Akinci, who voiced concerns over the risks posed by the coronavirus and the need to put measures in place to protect the Cypriot people.
“Taking into account the paramount duty for the protection of the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and the need to put in place the necessary measures to prevent spread of the virus, the president agreed with the Turkish Cypriot leader that the bicommunal technical committee on health should meet on Monday, February 3, at 6pm,” the announcement said.
The committee will then brief the leaders about the best ways of cooperation and the measures that need to be put in place for the best possible protection of the population.
