NICOSIA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot authorities are extending COVID-19 restrictions so as to curb the rapid spread of the virus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced on Friday.

He said the restrictions, which will come into force as of Sunday morning until the end of January, include closing down all shops except those offering essential services, such as supermarkets, bakeries and pharmacies, banning all public and private gatherings and continuing a ban on night movement from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

People can go out shopping from supermarkets and other premises providing essential goods twice a day or for physical exercise after sending an SMS and receiving approval.

Work at construction sites and factories will continue, provided that only 15 percent of the staff are present at any time, with a limit of 20 workers at any facility, while work in the public service will be carried out online, except for departments offering essential services.

Flights will continue at Cyprus' two international airports.

Ioannou said the new measures were necessary amid a high rate of infections among the community, which raised pressure on the public health system that was reaching its limits.

As of Thursday night, the country's total number of COVID-19 related deaths stood at 140 and the total number of infections reached 26,208.

Ioannou said that vaccination is proceeding at a slow pace in the country due to a lack of enough vaccines, expressing hope that the combination of restrictions and vaccination program, which is expected to pick up in the next few weeks, could allow the restrictions to be lifted by the end of April.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 235 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 63 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Jan. 6. Enditem

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