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Footage of Students' Reaction to Emergency Drill: Civil Defence Comment

Published March 5, 2026, 18:14
Footage of Students' Reaction to Emergency Drill: Civil Defence Comment

Due to increased concerns about security in Cyprus, due to the flare-up in the Middle East, emergency preparedness exercises have begun in schools. On the ENIMERWSI TORA show, the spokesperson of the Civil Defence, Panagiotis Liasidis, presented a video from an exercise in a school in Limassol, explaining the new procedure in case of an alarm. According to the new procedure, children should exit the classrooms when the continuous ringing of the bell (three times) is heard, in contrast to the previous protocol which provided for them to remain under their desks. Mr. Liasidis clarified that in some cases, children can remain in basements until the alarm ends. The Civil Defence is working closely with the Ministry of Education and all schools have evacuation plans. Mr. Liasidis mentioned that exercises were also carried out in other schools, such as the school where his granddaughter attends. However, he noted that in some cases, such as the alarm at the American Embassy, the information was limited to specific schools and not to the wider area. Mr. Liasidis stressed the importance of cooperation and information, while referring to the need for continuous improvement of preparedness procedures. The video presented shows students following the new instructions and exiting the classrooms immediately when the bell rings.