Banks across Cyprus reopened as scheduled Thursday, nearly two weeks after being shutdown amid the island's near-economic collapse.
Depositors formed long lines on the sidewalks and streets outside their banks long before the doors were unlocked at noon local time ((10:00 GMT)), anxiously awaiting access to their accounts.
The banks will stay open for just six hours and people will only be allowed to withdraw $383 a day from their accounts. Travelers leaving the Mediterranean island can take no more than $3,831 to other countries. The strict restrictions were imposed to prevent a massive run on accounts that could trigger a catastrophic bank failure.
