Pournara camp will return to normal operations on Monday

The Pournara refugee reception centre in Kokkinotrimithia will return to normal operations on Monday, the interior ministry announced on Friday.

The decision was made after the medical staff of the centre reported there were no cases of the coronavirus and also no more cases of scabies.

This means that finally some migrants at least will be allowed to leave the camp.

Due to Covid-19, staff at Pournara camp had to rapidly increase the centre’s capacity and improve infrastructure, as they were not ready to accommodate all the people who were brought to the camp.

Though many of them should have moved to other accommodation, because of the virus they were stuck in the camp for months.

The situation became more tense in recent days, with police using pepper spray to quell the unrest and the migrants throwing stones at the officers.

Just a day ago eight police officers were being treated for injuries after being pelted with rocks by migrants from inside the camp, protesting their prolonged detention there.

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.