COVID-19 Prevention measures taken by Nicosia Municipality
- 17/04/2020
Nicosia Municipality has taken a series of prevention measures as of March 12th 2020 following the decrees and decisions by the Government of Cyprus and also the decisions taken by the majority of the Municipalities. The measures will remain in force until April 30th until further notice.
The measures include:
Prevention of COVID-19 spread:
· The Municipality offices will be closed to the public. Nicosia Municipality offices and premises will be visited only for very necessary reasons and after telephone communication.
· Suspension of physical meetings with external partners.
· In an effort to have fewer employees gathered in the offices of the Municipality, many of the officers were given remote access to their computers in order to work from home whereas any necessary meetings are held online.
· Suspension of payments at the cash desk of the Municipality.
· Suspension of any receipt or payment of any applications/objections for fees regarding construction license, alcohol sale license, tobacco sale license, dog license, professional license, use of property license, renewal of parking cards, etc
· Promotion of online payments at https://www.nicosiamunicipality.org.cy/.
· Urge to use electronic communication for any request by the public to municipality@nicosiamunicipality.org.cy or Citizens Service and Information Office phone numbers and follow the Municipality’s social media for any updates.
· Suspension of performing political marriages until April 30, 2020.
· Suspension of the programs and services of the Nicosia Municipality Multifunctional Foundation for adults and children except for the Home Care Adult Service.
· Suspension of the Nicosia Mini Buses routes.
Public spaces, cultural centres and other places that remain closed:
· All museums, galleries and arts centres.
· All parks and all children's playgrounds.
· Suspension of all cultural and other public events.
· The outdoor sports facilities, including the Skate Park and basketball courts.
· Public meeting spaces, such as squares.
· The Open Market and the bazaar are terminated and no street sale is permitted
· The Municipal Market will continue to operate and consumer protection measures will be taken at the entrance. Only wholesalers and supermarket employees will be allowed to enter the Wholesale Market.
· It is forbidden for citizens to attend places of worship, such as churches, mosques or other places of worship.
Law enforcement:
In consultation with the Nicosia Police Directorate, the Traffic Police and Special Police Officers of the Nicosia Municipality will assist and make recommendations aimed at contributing to the implementation of the decree and all measures. They will also contribute to the implementation of the decree suspending the operations of commercial shops, and in the event that companies violate the decree, the Police will be informed to act according to its jurisdiction.
Disinfection measures:
- Disinfecting regularly all offices of the Municipality and provision of antiseptics in the offices for the employees.
- Disinfecting regularly different areas in the city (squares, pedestrian roads, main roads, etc).
Creative activities
“I stay home and create”
Entitled "Nicosia 2030", this painting activity invites kids to prepare their own drawings of how they imagine their city Nicosia to be in the year 2030, in relation to the Sustainable Development
Goals 2030 goals of the United Nations.
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/el-GR/news/announcements/2020/12800/
The Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre is running various activities under the movement #stayhome aiming to actively contribute to the creativity of this difficult period we all live in. #μένουμεσπίτι #stayhome #staysafe
Write it. Pen pals in the Age of Quarantine.
NiMAC [The Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, Associated with the Pierides Foundation] in collaboration with “Γράψε το. / Write it.” revive the handwritten letter correspondence. In this framework NiMAC and “Γράψε το. / Write it.” extend an Open Call for participation in the action “Write it. Pen pals in the Age of Quarantine”.
The exchange of handwritten letters has historically bridged matters of distance, as well as strengthen human relations. Furthermore, human history has been, amongst others, recorded via handwritten correspondence. People in pandemics, wars, and depressions narrate and share their stories and experiences through their handwritten letters.
So, adults are invited to remember the time when they exchanged handwritten letters, as well as the younger ones who want to try this traditional way of communication for the first time, to take part in this original and interesting action.
More information can be found at:
Open call: Collective Story
Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, announced an open call for a collective project for children and adults.
They invited young and “adult” children to contribute to the story “The Tiny Dragon” with a word, a phrase, a paragraph, an idea...
The story began when the Dragon, feeling underestimated by the rest of his peers, decided to think and act outside the box in order for the rest of the herd to notice him...
For more information, follow the link:
http://nimac.org.cy/en-gb/stay-at-home/blog/open-call-collective-story
The Alphabet Around Me
The NiMAC [The Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, Associated with the Pierides Foundation] Educational Centre for Children created the activity "The Alphabet Around Me" for children.
Where do we see the alphabet in our house? Write down, search for, find and photograph the letters of the alphabet to make your own "abc" through eight fun steps.
You can find more information at:
http://nimac.org.cy/en-gb/stay-at-home/blog/the-alphabet-around-me
Nicosia Municipality Multifunctional Foundation
Solidarity Baskets & Easter Solidarity Basket
We stay home – We stay safe!
The Municipality of Nicosia and Nicosia Municipality Multifunctional Foundation have prepared and distributed "Solidarity Baskets" supporting with food and basic necessities elderly and families with children. In addition, “Easter Solidarity Baskets” have been offered to single parents, large families, unemployed or self-employed who, due to restrictive measures taken for COVID-19 are no longer working. All the goods are provided by sponsors. https://www.facebook.com/NicosiaMunicipality/videos/216660743078429/
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/el-GR/news/announcements/2020/12809/
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/el-GR/news/announcements/2020/12834/
Solidarity Wall
Nicosia Multifunctional Foundation has set up a solidarity wall, aiming to provide food for people in need. The food will be packaged and placed on the railings of the main entrance of the Nicosia Municipality Multifunctional Foundation and anyone in need can come and collect it.
Home Care Services for Adults
Continuation of a provision of Home Care Services for Adults that unable to serve themselves.
The services include:
A) Cooking meals
B) Shopping
C) Accompanying to or for hospitals
D) Washing clothes ironing
E) Body cleanliness
F) Cleaning of personal space
G) Holistic home care
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/el-GR/municipality/multipurpose-centre/home-care/
"Support Line - We keep you company!"
The Municipality and the Nicosia Municipality Multifunctional Foundation have set up a telephone support line "Support Line - We Keep You Together!" staffed with psychologists for anyone who needs psychological support.
The main goal of this support line is to provide telephone support, encouragement and empowerment while at the same time the participants will be provided with the company for a short period of time (5-20 minutes).
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/el-GR/news/announcements/2020/12830/
Open School - Webinars
A series of “Open School” lessons and activities will continue to be provided to citizens, adults, and children, using online tools such as chess, pilates, zumba, ballet, yoga, flute, saxophone, and cooking.
https://www.facebook.com/NicosiaMunicipalityMultifunctionalFoundation/posts/2931761380252255
Mentoring Workshops as Webinars -EU project MINGLE-AMIF
MINGLE - an AMIF funded project aiming at facilitating active citizenship by developing social capital (SC) and human capital (HC) for Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and at fostering their integration - organizes workshops addressing locals in the countries of the project (Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Germany, and Sweden) who want to become mentors in order to assist TCNs to improve their social skills. The ultimate goal of the mentoring sessions is for TCNs to achieve active citizenship in their host countries.
MINGLE, trains Counselors free of charge and brings them into contact with Third-Country Citizens in order to guide these individuals in their social integration. In the framework of the online seminar, the tools designed by the project will be presented and the participants will learn what "Intercultural Communication" is and what are the characteristics of a good Consultant.
The workshops will last 4 hours and the participants will be trained in the two tools developed by the project, the Online Active Citizenship Tool (OACAT) to assess the current situation of TCNs regarding their social capital and the Empowerment Kit (EMKIT), a series of mentoring activities aiming at improving each TCN’s social capital based on a tailor-made action plan that each mentor will design along with a TCN. The workshops in Cyprus will take place on 5 different dates.
https://www.facebook.com/events/141063467330086/
Support for the Cyprus Red Cross
The Municipality of Nicosia actively supports the services provided by Cyprus Red Cross to help the elderly and other vulnerable groups who have difficulties going out to shop by delivering them supermarket and pharmacy goods and supplies.
For this purpose, the Municipality of Nicosia has provided the Cyprus Red Cross with 8 small buses and volunteers to assist them.
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/el-GR/news/announcements/2020/12811/
https://www.facebook.com/NicosiaMunicipality/videos/735228420348174/
Useful information for migrants refugees and asylum seekers to prevent Covid19
Providing to migrants that have limited access to information related to COVID 19 material, translated in various languages.
https://www.facebook.com/UNHCRCyprus/photos/a.377991178877595/3177693658907319/?type=3&theater
Provision of informative material "Tips for parents"
Nicosia Multifunctional Foundation, while taking into consideration the current restrictive measures prepared and distributed informative and supportive material, with general tips, ideas for employment at home, and links to educational and creative material, in order to support parents and guardians who keep their children at home.
http://www.nicosia.org.cy/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=ac61b29d-7872-4b64-b9fd-f92f5eb74f7c