Two out of three covid fines unpaid

Two out of three people in Cyprus have not paid their fines issued for breach of covid measures throughout the past two years and are now at risk of appearing in court.

According to daily Phileleftheros, between March 28, 2020 and May 31, 2022 a total of 44,344 out of court fines were issued and only 17, 466 – corresponding to 39.4 per cent – have been paid. Another 26,828 fines (60.5 per cent) remain unpaid.

Most fines were handed out to people for not wearing face masks or wearing them incorrectly, incurring a €300 fine. The second category for most fines was for lockdown violations, specifically for failing to send an SMS before people left their houses – a restriction which was enforced for months.

Other fines were issued to people for not abiding by social distancing rules or gathering in houses with a higher number of people than was allowed.

The tens of thousands of out of court fines which remain unpaid do not include a relatively small number of cases where they will be taken directly to court, daily Phielelftheros reported. Those fines have been linked directly to court as they cannot be settled otherwise, as they involve companies that had been repeatedly violating the covid rules.