Don’t rule out a beach vacation abroad this summer.
Residents of Cyprus are once again plunging into the azure waters of the Mediterranean after six weeks of a strict lockdown.
Restrictions, which previously only permitted one excursion from your house per day and mandated beach closures, have lightened. Cypriots, who inhabit the island nation off the coast of Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, are allowed to leave their homes up to three times a day — and finally enjoy the sea.
“I am very glad to visit my beach and swim for the first time this year,” 39-year-old Michalis Eveledis of Ayia Napa tells AFP.
Cyprus has limited the spread of the coronavirus, with just 17 fatalities as of May 18 amid a population of about 1.17 million. Its success is attributed to measures such as a ban on large indoor gatherings that began on March 11 and prohibition of most incoming passenger flights from March 21. A curfew was imposed later in March.
It also doesn’t hurt that its borders are easily monitored. Cyprus is just one of several island nations — including Iceland, Malta and New Zealand — beginning to ease restrictions internally.
And as Cyprus weighs the implications of opening up to the world — and tourists— there’s a lot to consider.
“One idea we are contemplating is to open up our airports to countries that are on the same stage of the pandemic as we are,” Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou told AFP.
Another option: Give tourists the option to be tested upon arrival rather than quarantining, which this week Iceland announced as part of its plan to reopen the country to visitors by June 15. Officials’ confidence was boosted by only three new confirmed COVID-19 cases in May so far, with Iceland experiencing just 10 deaths and 1,802 cases overall amid a population of 360,000.
The plan would also require incoming travelers to download and use the official tracing app, which is used by 40% of Iceland’s population.
Greece has already been testing incoming international travelers at its airport and is enjoying a similarly rare virus success story, with just 160 deaths due to COVID-19. With many idyllic islands forming an archipelago in the south of the country, Greece also has a projected opening date: July 1.
Nonessential businesses like hairdressers and bookstores opened in May. City hotels are expected to open on June 1, and Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, hopes to open seasonal hotels and welcome tourists a month later. That’s crucial to the country’s financial health, as the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is at least 20% dependent on tourism. In Greece, the idea of a “safe corridor” was bandied about, which would allow travel between countries that have controlled their coronavirus outbreaks, like Cyprus and Israel.
“The tourism experience this summer may be slightly different from what you’ve had in previous years,” Mitsotakis tells CNN. Even if no bars are open, he adds, you can still have a good time.
The Indonesian government is also holding up Bali as a paragon of containment, according to Bloomberg, with just four deaths and 343 cases with a population of 4.2 million. There’s not yet a set date for reopening, but Bali is top of the list of places where the government plans to ease restrictions and then, carefully, allow tourists.
Things will be different, though. Visitors may need to make a reservation to enjoy the beach in the Spanish town of Canet d’en Berenguer, just north of Valencia. In order to allow for social distancing, officials plan to allow half the usual number of sunbathers on the local beach: 5,000 instead of 10,000.
While other beaches in Spain plan to rope off squares for visitors, making them first come, first served, lots in Canet d’en Berenguer would be nabbed via a phone app.
“This summer will be very different,” Pere Joan Antoni Chordá, the town’s mayor, tells CNN. “There’ll be more space between your neighbor. Like a ‘business-class’ beach.”
New York Post
