The Cyprus Police has carried out 51,388 checks for the safe pass from August 1 to August 25 and issued fines to four owners or managers of establishments and 35 individuals, sources told CNA.
Other sources also told CNA, that since mid-May 2021 when checks for the safe pass began, Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance staff have checked around 140,000 persons for safe pass at the entrances of the ten shopping malls throughout the island.
Ministry of Labour inspectors check around 8,000 to 10,000 persons on a weekly basis at the entrances of shopping malls, while during the holiday week of August more than 15,000 persons were checked for safe pass due to an increased congestion in the large shopping centres.
Under decrees issued by the Minister of Health aiming to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the safe pass certificate includes either a certificate that they have completed their vaccination, a negative rapid or PCR test valid for 72hours or a certificate that a person has contracted the virus in the past six months.
Checks for safe pass are carried out systematically on Friday, Saturday and Sunday when increased activity is observed in the island’s shopping centres while checks in the other days of the week are carried out less frequently, the same sources said.
Furthermore, the authorities began using special devices scanning the authenticity of European safe pass.
Moreover, the Ministry’s Department of Labour Inspection carries out checks for safe pass in construction sites and other establishments mainly in the manufacturing sector.