11/9/20 Free covid 19 Kyrenia for the day

[wanderer]

According to the information given by the Ministry of Health, a free PCR test will be carried out by the Ministry of Health teams at the Kyrenia Tourism Port today between 13.00 and 18.00. In the statement of the Ministry, it was stated that "There were positive cases among those who went to some crowded entertainment places in the Kyrenia region, especially those who went to these places in the last 14 days can benefit from the free PCR application by coming to the health cabins to be established at the port."

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[13roman58]

Citizens only.

[sophie]

That's what I was afraid of 13roman58. If you're correct then God forbid they be accused of being racist.

[waddo]

I understood that when I came to the TRNC that I had to pay for ALL of my medical treatment, nothing was free! What has changed that you think it now may be racist to restrict medical treatment to citizens only?

I note that lots of people in the UK take adavantage of a FREE PCR test before going on holidays when it is only free for those with symptoms - if they can get one - but all UK tax payers are funding those and all TRNC tax payers are funding theirs.

I have seen nothing that restricts this PCR test to citizens only and would suggest that if there are restrictions then it should be free to all who pay social insurance (not the state health payment for residency) and there their families - has anyone in that bracket actually enquired?

[elizabeth]

That decision is in no way racist, the country is struggling financially so of course they should look after their own first, isn't that what you would expect any responsible Government to do.
If any ex pat feels they need to get a test done there are plenty of hospitals able to do that, and the majority of us can probably afford to pay for it unlike many of the local people.

[Brinsley]

It seems to me that the logic of a roving free test centre would be to test as many persons as possible to identify anyone that shows a positive result. To exclude large sections of the population because of their ethnicity defeats the whole object of the exercise. Another Government policy shooting themselves in the foot? I think so! Anyway, saved me a wasted journey to the harbour!

[erol]

So it would appear from this report https://www.lgcnews.com/crowds-gather-f ... enia-port/ that the free tests were not citizen's only in any case ?

Tina Wingrove, from the UK who settled in Cyprus in March wanted to have a test for precautionary purposes; “If I have a virus in my body, I wanted to have a PCR test in order not to spread it and to be cautious not to cause contamination. If there is such a situation, I would like to know that I will not spread it to my neighbours, my family. Also, my husband works at the hospital. Therefore, we are at risk. I live in Kyrenia. The weather is very hot… Maybe an appointment system could be created for a PCR test planned to be done at this time. That would be better. So it wouldn’t be that crowded. When this happened, we took a risk again because of the crowd.“

I guess in this singular specific case it was better for Tina that she was not a kibkommer ?

[sophie]

The test should have been offered to those who need it most, and not based on ethnicity, creed or colour, regardless of their citizenship. Clearly Tina and those like her should have been at the top of the queue (an appointment queue, not a free for all) and not based on citizenship.

[erol]

The test should have been offered to those who need it most, and not based on ethnicity, creed or colour, regardless of their citizenship. Clearly Tina and those like her should have been at the top of the queue (an appointment queue, not a free for all) and not based on citizenship.

These free tests were specifically for those who wanted to be tested without there being pressing need. They were additional to the testing that is already being done for those that have greatest need, regardless of ethnicity blah blah. We do not, thankfully, have the kind of issues on testing capacity and bottlenecks here that places like the UK appear to have.

I have been tested three times with no need greater than I wished to cross to the south. I simply went to the Girne University Hospital at a time that suited me, without an appointment, paid my 200TL (£21), was in and swabbed and out again within 10 minutes each time and then collected my result the following day. When the free tests were announced I did consider taking advantage of them but instead chose not to, even as a citizen, for various reasons.

This 'episode' shows imo the difficulty of nuance when translating. My understanding is the original turkish word used was one that can mean 'our citizens' but it can also have a meaning closer to 'our people'.

I do take your point Sophie. People working in hospitals should be in the first category. I do not know if they are or not but if not then that is wrong and should be changed and should be changed before doing random free walk in testing. If it is the case that Tina's spouse is already being tested then you can argue that the family of those who work in hospitals should also be in the 'first category' but I am less certain of that personally.

[Butterflyaway]

Wouldn’t have been a good idea to have a “drive-in” test Centre. People could have sat in their cars, kept cool with the air con on, listened to the radio, read a book or magazine, and above all socially distanced? I wonder how I came up with that idea?

Perhaps the car park at Girne could have been used, or even one of the universities.

I wonder if it even occurred to them? Unless it is their idea, it’s no good and it’s even worse if suggested by those know all bloody pesky foreigners.

Before you all go on about it being central to where people work/live and not everyone has a car, etc. I appreciate that, so how about one hour at the harbor and ten hours at a car park!

[erol]

Butterflyaway I see much sense and validity in what you are saying but it is all with the hindsight of knowing what the demand for this kind of walk in free testing turned out to be. I personally recognise that those who made the decision to do this in the way they they did , did not have the benefit of this hindsight then as we all do now.

If they go on and implement further such walk in free testing in the future and do so in exactly the same way they did this first one then I will be at the head of the queue to criticise such decisions. I would hope that if more future testing of this type is to be done, it will be done in a way that takes account of what has now been learnt from the first such testing, along the lines you talk about.

[Butterflyaway]

Erol

If you were going to invite me over for dinner would you plan to fail, or fail to plan?

For example, would you buy all the food and drink, prepare everything, set the table, then ring me 15 minutes before everything was to be served to invite me?

Almost everything here comes under the “fail to plan” scenario.

I heard that the motorcycle helmet law only stated a rider had to own a helmet. They forgot to state in the law, that the correct helmet needed to be worn at all times, on the riders head, with the straps fastened, when using a motorcycle!

How about all those thousands of luxury apartments being built in central Girne. Most, if not all occupiers will own at least one car. They may have a parking space, but the roads will not be able to cope.

Where we live, on the west side, we are able to move around a little easier than those on the East Side, we can get to Nicosia using the by-pass. The Easties have to go through loads of traffic. Did they plan to fail? Will it get easier for them with all the extra apartments?

When the authorities come up with their next idea, however well-meaning, why don’t they ask a few experienced locals of any possible scenarios that could be avoided with a little planning?

Here’s one to start with... a big company wants to open a big business on the by-pass. Should they put in a 200-300 meter slip road, deccelaration lane, before the entrance so that cars can indicate they are moving to the left slip road so that can slow down and safely enter the slip road/car park, or just have an entrance to their car park directly off a fast bit of the by-pass?

How about the area where you leave the car park to get back onto the fast bit of the by pass? Have an acceleration lane, or have it so that you can physically turn right directly onto the oncoming traffic?

[erol]

If you were going to invite me over for dinner would you plan to fail, or fail to plan?

If I were to announce here on this forum that anyone who wants can pop over to my house on a given date and time for free food, the chances that I might serious underestimate or overestimate how many actually do so, is very high. Regardless of how much notice I give them. I could of course ask that people who are going to come notify me before hand by a certain date but it does seem to me that the point of 'walk in' testing is that it is 'walk in' ?

Almost everything here comes under the “fail to plan” scenario.

I would barely disagree with you here but even you put in the 'almost'. For me the questions is, is this specific case one of the 'almost always' exceptions or not ? Or to what degree. For me the primary thing that went wrong with this testing, was a serious underestimate of what the demand would be. We only know that to be the case with hindsight. If the authorities had of put in place systems that could have handled 10 times or more than the numbers that showed up for this first test and in fact only 1/10th of people showed up, I have little doubt they would also be getting slammed for 'failure to plan', after the fact.

Personally I welcome greater testing and more generic testing not just on symptoms or contact but generically and have 'advocated' for such here months ago. Time will tell if the authorities here do such further testing and if they do how much they learn or not from this first attempt. I am just not ready to slate them, after the fact, for not knowing before it, what the demand would actually turn out to be.

[waddo]

You can pick on us "Easties" as much as you like but we will have the last laugh when the tunnel through the mountains has been completed and joined up to the new dual carriageway road over the mountains that will take us straight onto the Northern By Pass - not quite finished yet - at Nicosia. From there it will be a straight and easy route down the main road to the Hospital. The only snag seems to be getting round the parking circles - sorry you know them as roundabouts - without being hit from behind because you failed to move or smacked in the side because the car parked on the circle wanted to drive off!

Fail to plan - what's that all about then? Shortsighted you are if you don't plan to fail, that means once the job is done it is completed and what will the workforce do then??? Much better to build in complications and projects that can not be completed then you have a happy and employed workforce. Such has been the way in every country in the Med Basin that I have visited and it will never change. Indeed why should it? It is not my country after all and I would not like to force the wonderful ideas the UK Govt has - HS2 for instance - on the people here.

As for the by-pass, it will always be called thus in the same way the Limassol by-pass is still called that - yet it is buried deep in the heart of Limassol these days and by the time it was finished it never by-passed anything anyway. The Kyrenia by-pass will be the same in 30 years, nothing ever stays the same.

Love it here, love the people, the climate, the total confusion of living here and all the effort that goes into trying to make it all work - don't change a thing, just learn to embrace it!

[EnjoyingTheSun]

If I were to announce here on this forum that anyone who wants can pop over to my house on a given date and time for free food, the chances that I might serious underestimate or overestimate how many actually do so, is very high.

If its vegetarian you'll overestimate

[sophie]

Why's that then? Knowing Erol, he might very well have estimated correctly.

[Butterflyaway]

Butterflyaway I see much sense and validity in what you are saying but it is all with the hindsight of knowing what the demand for this kind of walk in free testing turned out to be. I personally recognise that those who made the decision to do this in the way they they did , did not have the benefit of this hindsight then as we all do now.

If they go on and implement further such walk in free testing in the future and do so in exactly the same way they did this first one then I will be at the head of the queue to criticise such decisions. I would hope that if more future testing of this type is to be done, it will be done in a way that takes account of what has now been learnt from the first such testing, along the lines you talk about.

Erol, I look forward to you being head of the queue, as tomorrow they will be repeating the free test offer.

Guess where? At a huge car park, or the same place?