NICOSIA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Health Ministry of Cyprus issued a decree Monday, easing most coronavirus-related restrictions and introducing a SafePass for shops, restaurants and crowded events as well as on buses.

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said there is both optimism and concerns as the eastern Mediterranean island is gradually moving out of the pandemic crisis.

Shopping malls, department stores, retail, restaurants and cafes opened as of 5 a.m. on Monday, while a mandatory SMS message for an outing once a day was scrapped.

Instead, people must use a SafePass, which displays one of three documents: a certificate of vaccination with at least one dose of an European Union (EU) licensed vaccine, proof they had the virus in the past six months, or a negative test result for coronavirus.

A digital form of the SafePass will be ready within ten days, according to Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Kyriakos Kokkinos.

He said it will be used temporarily for six to eight weeks until it is replaced by the introduction of the European Green Pass, which will be used by EU citizens for moving both inside their countries or travelling to any other EU country.

Ioannou said the relaxations introduced at the end of a two-week total lockdown is a big step towards normality after an improvement in the pandemic situation, but the minister also advised caution and prudence.

"There is an improvement in the picture, but we do not have the luxury for setbacks, so the public is asked to strictly comply with the relevant protocols," he said.

Cyprus is currently using vaccines licensed by the EU, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

Health Ministry officials said that China's Sinopharm vaccine, which has been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use, could also be made available soon. Enditem

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