The aim of this paper is to comparatively analyze the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 – 2022) in Greece and Cyprus from a comparative perspective, in order to examine the impact that the adoption of different measures, oftentimes of different intensity, had on the democratic process, particularly as far as individual rights are concerned. The relevant data and different categories of measures are drawn from the Observatory of Government Restrictive Measures for the COVID-19 pandemic (GovRM-COVID19), hosted by the Center for Research on Democracy and Law of the University of Macedonia (Greece), because of its exclusive focus on the actual legislation adopted that implemented the relevant NPIs. In addition, legal challenges before the courts of both countries are analyzed. What were the NPIs adopted in these two countries, which were similar and which different, and what was their intensity? How did their adoption impact democracy – and individual rights in particular – in each of these countries, and what recourse was sought? What broader conclusions can be drawn in terms of the impact of NPIs more broadly during a health crisis, and in terms of the differences between these two countries in particular? How have the above affected the politics in each of these two countries?
