Cyprus extends flight ban until April 17

Cyprus has extended a ban on all commercial flights for another two weeks until April 17 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the transport minister said Thursday.

After "evaluating the situation... "we (decided to) extend the decree" introduced for two weeks on March 21 by another 14 days, Yiannis Karousos tweeted.

The transport ministry told local news site Financial Mirror that cargo flights from a list of 28 countries were exempted from the ban as well as flights for stranded foreign nationals and "for humanitarian reasons".

As of Wednesday evening, Cyprus had recorded a total of 397 coronavirus cases and 11 deaths from the pandemic, including two fatalities in the Turkish-run north of the divided island.

The island has imposed tough restrictions on movement, including a nighttime curfew and allowing people to leave their homes only once a day with permission.