Government SMS warning causes confusion among some residents

The test emergency SMS that was scheduled to be sent to Cyprus residents at 7pm on Wednesday led to confusion among recipients, with some reporting receiving it early, delayed or not at all as of Wednesday evening.

“For the purpose of prevention, citizens are advised in case they receive an SMS to take the self-protection measures as posted on the Ministry of Interior’s website,” the text message, sent by the Civil Defence said. The text messages were sent as a result of the present uncertainty in the Middle East.

Despite being announced in advance as only a test, which in this case was not to be acted on, the message did not explicitly state so, leaving some recipients unclear about its nature.

“This was a simple sms on my Dubai number not even my Cyprus one,” one resident told the Cyprus Mail.

He described colleagues in his work group chat joking, with some saying it had been a pleasure working together.

“Everyone in our chat is laughing at how bad and sad this is,” he said.

Some non-Cypriot residents told the Cyprus Mail that they received texts in Greek, English or both and were not sure how to interpret it.

“Picture the situation – I always receive scam sms in Greek to pick up parcels from the post office and when I know I didn’t order anything I just disregard them, so if they send me something in Greek I will probably just ignore it,” one Cyprus Mail reader with a Cypriot phone number and residence said.

Another Italian reader said that despite having three numbers – one Cypriot, one Dutch and one Italian – he only received a Greek text on the Cypriot number at 6.33pm.

“It’s a bit of a joke really,” he said. 

Members of the Cyprus Mail newsroom received messages at different times after 7pm – with one having received no message at all as of 8pm.

The texts were sent in both Greek and English, one arriving shortly after seven, one at 7.17pm, and another one at 7.23pm. Still others received their after 8pm.

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou earlier on Wednesday said that the system will allow authorities to send rapid written warnings to all mobile phones in Cyprus, providing timely instructions during potential security incidents.

“This is a preventive measure and an important tool for the immediate and valid information of residents,” Ioannou said, adding that the aim is to ensure people know exactly what to do if a warning is issued.

In the future, individuals who get a notification are recommended to walk calmly to the closest underground room, either in their house, an adjacent structure or the nearby district. The test message on Wednesday was an exception to this.

Those indoors without access to a basement should remain inside, away from doors, glass and windows, while people outdoors should enter the nearest building immediately.

In schools, hospitals and stadiums, existing emergency protocols will be implemented by trained staff, and the public is urged not to attempt to travel by vehicle to such locations

Authorities further advised the public to remain in underground or indoor spaces until further instructions are issued and to avoid unnecessary movement outdoors, either on foot or by car.

Addressing concerns about shelter capacity, Ioannou acknowledged recent reports that the island’s roughly 2,500 shelters can accommodate less than half the population.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, he said this was not unusual internationally.

“Only two countries worldwide can fully accommodate their entire population in shelters, Israel and Switzerland,” he said, stressing that all other states rely on civil defence protocols similar to those announced on Wednesday.

The new SMS system has been developed in cooperation with all telecommunications providers and, according to the government, will be activated whenever a potential security incident is being assessed, allowing the public to take protective measures without delay.

Meanwhile, the Cyprus News Agency reported that the island’s shelters are currently undergoing inspections to assess their condition and proceed with repair works if deemed necessary.

The inspections are expected to be completed within the next two to three days.

It added that the most recent checks of the shelters were conducted in June 2025, though these were not carried out in all of the total 2,500 shelters.

Citing a source, CNA said that the shelters are privately owned and that according to current regulations owners needed to be informed within 24 hours to prepare them for use.

In this context, the source further stated that while some owners have proceeded with repairs, others have converted them into storage facilities.

This is particularly crucial given that the capacity of the bomb shelters currently accessible across Cyprus is already limited to only around 45 per cent of the population.

In light of recent developments in the region, the government has called on residents to install the SafeCy app, which helps users to locate nearby shelters on their mobile devices.

The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or in the Apple App Store.