Early glitch in SMS service, people urged to use forms

A system set up by government for people to apply for permission to go out apparently crashed just a couple of hours after coming online because of heavy use.

The 8998 number that people should text appeared to overload and would not respond within a few minutes after officials said it would.

One user said he texted the number at around 7pm because he wanted to go for a run but received no response over an hour later.

Authorities announced a short while ago that due to technical reasons the SMS service is ‘down’ and urged people to use the forms should they wish to go outdoors.

 

 

 

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.