Coronavirus: around 150 Cypriots dead in UK from Covid-19

At least 150 Cypriots have died of coronavirus in Britain since the outbreak, a London-based newspaper said Thursday.

Michael Yiakoumi, a journalist for Parikiaki, a Greek Cypriot community newspaper widely distributed in London, told the Cyprus News Agency that from reports and data they have collated, the deceased in the London area are 95 Greek Cypriots, 55 Turkish Cypriots and a Maronite.

In addition, two Greek Cypriots residing in Birmingham have died.

The vast majority of deceased British Cypriots were aged over 60. No information was yet available on how many of them had a pre-existing condition.

Assuming the estimates are correct, the number of deceased British Cypriots accounted for 2.18 per cent of all coronavirus-related deaths in the UK, based on Wednesday’s tally.

The newspaper estimated that, beyond the deceased, 300 British Cypriots are confirmed carriers, several of them hospitalised.

The Greek Cypriot community has mobilised a volunteer-based support network to assist the elderly and vulnerable groups. In addition, the High Commission of Cyprus in the UK stands ready to provide support to families who have lost a loved one.

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.