Nicosia goes above and beyond in ensuring wellbeing of locals during pandemic

The city has not only stringently enforced the government’s lockdown measures but is also providing tons of other venues of support to its citizens

The Cypriot capital of Nicosia is going above and beyond when it comes to taking care of its citizens. When it comes to preventing the spread of coronavirus among the city’s population, local authorities have been stringently enforcing the national government’s guidelines, including suspending its own activities and closing down many of its offices and locations, thus transferring large parts of the municipality’s work online.

But more than that, authorities have also been adopting and devising new and modern approaches aimed at supporting people all around the city – be it through culture, support hotlines and services or by adopting new tech that eases the burden on constituents.

Supporting at a distance

At the very onset of the crisis, the municipality of Nicosia quickly began devising and implementing new and innovative approaches to help its citizens cope with the lockdown. Some of their most successful initiatives including ones focused on arts – like the “Nicosia 2030” project which invites children to submit their drawings of how they imagine the city to look in 10 years’ time, or the many activities hosted by the Nicosia Art Centre under the #stayhome slogan including a pen pal initiative, or collaborations for children to write their own stories together at a distance.

The city is also providing aid to the most vulnerable groups in the area – food banks, charities and solidarity baskets are just the tip of the iceberg. The municipality is also offering home care services for adults in need as well as support lines for those who are feeling lonely and just need to chat. The city’s traditional “Open School” events also remain available to everyone in the city – both young and old, via the use of online tools.

Innovative tech

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 Nicosia municipality, alongside the Centre for Excellence RISE, have developed a mobile app to help tracking of those infected. COVTRACER has also been endorsed by the country’s government and might prove crucial in its efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The app registers nearby contacts and in case of infection would allow authorities to quickly find those who might have been exposed to the virus and will also alert users who might have come into contact with someone who has fallen sick.

By employing a multi-faceted and multi-pronged approach the Cypriot capital of Nicosia certainly stands out for its efforts in combating the spread and the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.