Akrotiri, Cyprus. Pupils returned to school on Monday after Friday’s lifting of the evacuation order in Akrotiri, local officials said. A preventive evacuation exercise has been scheduled for the elementary school on Wednesday.
Return to routine after suspension of evacuation order
Deputy mayor of Akrotiri Giorgos Konstantinou said daily life had resumed and children were back in the primary and kindergarten schools of Akrotiri.
He added that Education Minister Athena Michaelidou, during a visit on Saturday, gave instructions for inspections of school premises to examine their static and seismic resistance.
Parents and authorities discuss safety measures
Polina Argyrou, head of the parents’ association of the Akrotiri primary school, said that after being hosted at the 2nd Primary School of Kolossi, the children of Akrotiri had returned to their school without problems.
Argyrou said the association met with Michaelidou and the civil defence, along with representatives from security and health services and the chief education officer, to discuss issues related to children’s safety in Akrotiri, leading to the scheduling of Wednesday’s exercise.
She said the exercise is planned for students and teachers so they know how to deal with an emergency, such as when the sirens sound. She added that if deemed appropriate, two specific rooms could be used as a gathering point and temporary shelter if needed in the future.
Background to the decision
The evacuation order for the village of Akrotiri, located within the British base area and adjacent to the air force base, was suspended on Friday after the security situation was deemed adequately safe, despite frequent alerts regarding “security threats”.
The interior ministry said on Friday that it examined available information “in consultation with other competent state authorities” and found that the status quo in Akrotiri “has evolved in recent days” following the base being hit by an Iranian-made drone on March 2.
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