No new cases of foot and mouth disease have been reported on Friday, but the situation remains critical, veterinary services department spokeswoman Sotiria Georgiadou said in her latest briefing at the joint rescue coordination centre (JRCC) in Larnaca.

“At present, we have no new cases in the infected area, despite the ongoing epidemiological investigations,” she said, before briefly making reference to the situation regarding animal vaccinations.

Thus far, she said, all cows within a three-kilometre radius of the first recorded case have been vaccinated, with cows within a 10-kilometre radius now undergoing vaccinations.

She said that in addition to this, “steps have been taken to order vaccines for pigs”.

As well as this, she said, a meeting had been convened at the JRCC, where experts sent to the island by the European Union had informed local cattle and sheep farmers about the ongoing vaccination programme and other preventative measures being undertaken.

She then said that a total of 529,000 doses of the vaccine, sent by the European Commission, are expected to arrive on the island on Saturday, with those doses set to complement the 60,000 doses sent by the Turkish Cypriot authorities this week, before calling on the public to remain calm and follow instructions.

“I would like to appeal for everyone to remain calm and stop movement. There is a ban on the movement of animal feed and people within the 10-kilometre surveillance zone, and in the event that animal feed and medicines need to be moved, a special permit must be obtained,” she said.

At that point, she reiterated her words from Thursday, stressing that “we are in a critical situation, we are still at the beginning, we are in a state of standstill”.

Then asked about the killing of animals, she said culling is ongoing and that the veterinary services department is continuing to “look for the most suitable burial sites within the specifications we set”.

These burial sites, she said, must be carefully chosen “so that the groundwater and soil are not contaminated” and so that the National Guard can be informed.

Asked when the killing of animals will be completed, she said this should be done within the next week.

Returning to the matter of vaccines, she explained that cows are the first animals to be vaccinated as they are “more vulnerable”, with pigs next to be receive the vaccine, and sheep and goats to be vaccinated after that.

“This is done because pigs are very vulnerable, and when they get infected, they reproduce the virus in very large quantities,” she said, before saying that in this vein, sheep and goats around pig pens are also high in the priority list for vaccinations.

She was then asked whether pigs are being tested for the disease and said that “pigs are in complete confinement”.

On the matter of the export of dairy products, she said that Cyprus has now “lost its free status for exports due to foot and mouth disease”.

“Halloumi has been secured, however. We will negotiate whatever product they stop us from exporting,” she said.

To this end, she then said that “the good image of Cyprus will depend on progress”, and that “the situation will be constantly reassessed, and the Republic of Cyprus will have to prove our status with sampling”.