1/ 2nd day of 0 new coronavirus cases in Cyprus.

Currently Cyprus is one of the most successful / under-reported examples of the "squash the virus" strategies worldwide, with better results even than some super-performers like Iceland.

2/ Probably the most important factor in the Cyprus response was taking measures *very early*. Schools closed and universities went online less than 24 hours after the first case was identified in Cyprus. A few days later a fairly strict lockdown followed.

3/ The lockdown was strict on discretionary items (only 1 outing allowed per day; retail basically closed) but porous for employers, allowing anyone to work in the office upon approval of their employer. Employers took a mixed approach - some 100% WFH; others partially open

4/ The second important aspect was ramping up high levels of testing. As of today, Cyprus has tested about 10% of the total population, one of the highest rates in the world. Testing capacity was put in place in about 7-10 days and then every day pro-active testing has occurred

5/ The 3rd aspect was excellent societal cooperation. Most importantly, the issue was not politicized by any party. The Ministry of Health, the universities and others formed a scientific advisory committee and @AnastasiadesCY gave great weight to the committee's guidance.

4/ Generally communication was very good. Minister of Health @K_Ioannou presented very well and scientists from @UNIC_ENG and @UCYOfficial were also very good, practical and down-to-earth communicators about how to approach the matter

5/ Other Ministries also were very responsive - Minister of Labour @ZetaEmilianidou and Deputy Minister Innovation @kyriac_kokkinos built the employee subsidization electronic platform in hyper-record time for Cyprus (or any) standards

6/ The results were super. 17 deaths total (one of the lowest in Europe per-capita), <1,000 cases, hospitals under control and 7 weeks later, society has almost completely re-opened. As everywhere, unavoidable large economic impact but that was always baked in from Day 1

7/ Is it time to let guard down? No! Success should be celebrated but mask usage and 'caution' feels *too low* post-'reopening', though some fatigue is understandable. The other challenge is how to manage the restart of tourism industry. Still have to be very cautious.

8/ Now, a quick side-note on size: Cyprus is not a micro-state; it is between the size of Rhode Island and Connecticut so, while it is small, I think the learnings could apply at the state level in the United States (for example)

9/ I think the important message is "if Cyprus can do it, so can [your country or state]". Cyprus is a normal Mediterranean country, somewhere in the top 30 countries in the world in level of development, with no particularly unusual characteristics to explain this success.

10/ Nothing we did cost hundreds of millions of euros, nothing required great breakthrough in science or technology. It just required mostly social and political maturity and a willingness to follow the (fairly straightforward) scientific recommendations.

11/ Hopefully, we can hold the line in Cyprus and more countries can get into the "green zone" too. Every country's success helps every other country, because if we squash it worldwide, we can keep it under control, even pre-vaccine. This should be our goal!