Cyprus removes 194 civil defense shelters from list

Following an inspection of civil defense facilities in Cyprus, 194 shelters have been removed from the official list as they were found to be unfit or the buildings they were located in no longer exist.

This was announced by Minister of the Interior Konstantinos Ioannou following a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

A total of 2,480 shelters were inspected. The inspection results revealed that:

• 194 facilities are unfit or no longer exist;
• 288 shelters have become private and can only be used by the owners or residents of the buildings.

Unsuitable facilities are being gradually removed from the SafeCY app, where residents can find the nearest shelters.

Authorities have also decided to change the approach to creating shelters. Priority will now be given to large public spaces — underground parking lots, basements of churches, supermarkets, hotels, and office buildings.

According to the minister, despite the decrease in the total number of shelters, population coverage has increased from 30% to approximately 45%.

In addition, the government approved urban planning incentives for new buildings: developers can increase the building coefficient by 5% if part of the underground premises is designated for use as a civil defense shelter.