The Cyprus Health Ministry on Monday updated the list of countries for travel to the island. The list is effective as of July 23 and was updated based on new epidemiological data regarding COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry, the countries from where Cyprus can receive tourists are classified in three categories. In the revised list, Romania and Luxembourg have been moved from B to C category. Montenegro has also been added to this category. Algeria, Morocco, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia and China have been added to B category.

Also, as of July 23, travellers from Italy will have the right to undergo a COVID-19 test at the airport upon their arrival and bear the cost themselves.

The UK is currently in C category, though is expected to be placed in B category from 1 August if the country’s coronavirus outbreak remains on a downward trend.

According to the Ministry of Health, this risk assessment can change at any time as the pandemic is developing and the epidemiological data are continuously under revision. Thus the list will be updated frequently.

 

How will travellers be able to enter the country?

 

Category A – Low risk countries at this stage

Austria, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea.

Passengers arriving from Category A countries are not obliged to present a COVID-19 test certificate or to self-isolate.

 

Category B – Possible low risk countries, higher risk than Category A

Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City, San Marino, Georgia, Uruguay, Australia, Algeria, Morocco, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia and China.

Passengers from Category B countries are required to show a negative COVID-19 test at least 72 hours prior to their arrival.

It is clarified that passengers from Category B countries may undergo the molecular test upon arrival in the Republic:

  1. a) Cypriot citizens and their family members (their foreign spouses, minor children and their parents); b) all persons legally resident in the Republic, c) persons entitled under the Vienna Convention, d) persons regardless of nationality, entitled to enter the Republic of Cyprus, after special permission from the Republic of Cyprus as determined by the Infectious Diseases Decree (No. 30) of 2020, and e) persons regardless of nationality where the Authorities of the country (Category B) residing do not provide laboratory analysis service to those who wish to travel to the Republic of Cyprus and upon relevant announcement.

The cost of the test is covered by them and in addition these individuals must self-isolate until the result is confirmed.

As of July 23, travellers from Italy have the right to take the test upon their arrival  and pay the cost.

 

Category C – Higher risk compared to Categories A and B

Portugal, Sweden, Luxembourg, Romania, United Kingdom, Serbia, Montenegro.

Travel from countries which are not featured in A or B categories, is allowed only for:

– Cypriot citizens permanently residing in the Republic of Cyprus, and their family members (spouses, children and parents)

– Persons legally residing in the Republic of Cyprus
– Persons allowed to enter the Republic of Cyprus in accordance with the

Vienna Convention
– Persons not included in all of the above, provided they obtain prior written

permission from the Republic of Cyprus, as defined under the Infectious Diseases Decree (N.30), as amended.

They have the opportunity to choose to undergo a diagnostic test for COVID-19 disease upon arrival or to have with them an RT-PCR COVID-19 certificate with a negative result at least 72 hours before departure. These individuals should remain in self-restraint for 14 days.

Passengers from Category C countries are obliged to self-isolate for 14 days.

All passengers, regardless of country category, are required to apply for the CyprusFlightPass (https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/) within 24 hours before the departure of their flight.

In addition, for the purposes of safeguarding Public Health and in order to keep up the surveillance of the epidemiological data in Cyprus, a COVID-19 sample molecular laboratory test will be conducted on passengers of selected arriving flights.

 

What other documentation is necessary?

  1. A ‘Cyprus Flight Pass’ available on the website www.cyprusflightpass.gov.cy, must be filled in electronically and submitted in advance with all required information and documents. ONLY in the event of a technical problem or scheduled maintenance of the electronic platform will passengers be allowed to fill in the required forms, in writing. In this case, travellers have to carry with them, in paper form, the required documentation.
  2. The flight pass will include the following points: a) personal information of the passenger b) declaration whether or not a person has travelled to/from or lived in a country other than those included in Category A and B, in the 14 days prior to travel c) confirmation that a person has not shown any symptoms related to COVID-19 in the 72 hours prior to travel d) confirmation that a person has not knowingly been in touch with COVID-19 patients in the 14 days prior to travel e) disclaimer that travel is taking place at a person’s own responsibility, and that the Republic of Cyprus or businesses operating within it, cannot be held liable for infection at any point during the travel process f) disclaimer that upon return to their country of origin, a person will notify the Health Authorities of Cyprus, should they display COVID-19 symptoms in the 14 days after leaving the island.
  3. Airlines will not permit passengers to board the aircraft and travel to the Republic of Cyprus without a Cyprus Flight Pass. Any travellers arriving to the Republic of Cyprus without a Cyprus Flight Pass, will be subject to a fine of 300 Euros.

 

Transport protocols

 

What protocols can be expected on airplanes?

  1. Prior to boarding, travellers will need to show their ‘CyprusFlightPass’
  2. Travellers’ temperature may possibly be taken prior to boarding
  3. Wearing of masks is compulsory during the flight

 

What other protocols can be expected in Cyprus airports/port terminals?

  1. Entrance or passage will only be allowed to travellers and staff
  2. Travellers will have their temperature taken in the terminal
  3. A physical ‘COVID-19 Information Desk’ will be made available for travellers

requesting information upon arrival

 

Destination protocols

 

Are there any general protocols that apply to the whole destination?

  1. Enhanced health, safety and hygiene protocols have been devised for all hospitality establishments, and extensive training of staff will take place prior to the destination opening for visitors.
  2. Physical distancing measures will be followed in all parts of the destination, so that people who do not belong to the same travel group maintain a reasonable distance from each other (2 sq. meters outdoors, and 3 sq. meters indoors).
  3. Where physical distancing is not possible, wearing of a face mask will be compulsory for both staff and visitors (airplanes, airports, ports, taxis, buses, diving/safari jeeps, lifts).
  4. Frequent aeriation will be taking place in all indoor areas, so that air conditioning can be enhanced with regular input of fresh air.
  5. Antibacterial gel will be made available in all establishments, at entrances, reception areas, lounges, public toilets, lifts etc.

 

Buses/rental vehicles/taxis/diving and safari jeeps

  1. Frequent aeriation and disinfection of buses
  2. Disinfection of rental vehicles after their return (including keys)
  3. Disinfection of all touch points after every route, for taxis and diving/safari jeeps (door handles, seats etc.)

 

Archaeological sites, museums, theme parks, mini cruises, diving sites, water sports

Disinfection of all touch points after every use (artefacts, touch screens, rides, door handles, seats, diving equipment, water sports equipment etc.)

 

Swimming pools, beaches and water parks

  1. Disinfection of sunbeds, umbrellas and personal safe boxes after every use
  2. Distance of 4m between umbrellas and 2m between sunbeds of persons not belonging to the same group
  3. Physical distancing will not apply to life guards who are called into urgent life-saving action

 

Accommodation establishments

  1. Use of masks and carrying out of appropriate hand hygiene, for all front-of-house staff; for housekeeping staff gloves are also compulsory
  2. Dispersion of guests at ‘group check-in’
  3. Rooms will not be allocated to new arrivals, unless enough time has passed for appropriate cleaning, disinfection and aeriation
  4. Disinfection of room keys/cards after every departure
  5. Where food or drink is displayed on self-service stations, appropriate sneeze guards or face masks are availed, and hand disinfection stations are installed; alternatively, items could be served directly by the staff

 

Restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs and night clubs

  1. Use of masks and carrying out of appropriate hand hygiene, for all back-of-house and front-of-house staff
  2. Service times will be extended, and advance booking enabled, to facilitate physical distancing
  3. The maximum party size is set at 10 persons
  4. The minimum distance between persons not belonging to the same party, is 2 square meters outdoors, and 3 square meters indoors
  5. Menus will be disinfected after every use, unless they are disposable; alternatively they will be displayed at various communal points of the establishment, or made available digitally
  6. Guests will be encouraged to pay by card and not by cash
  7. Disinfection of all touch points will be carried out after each use e.g. chairs, tables, salt/pepper mills, sauce bottles, electronic payment machines etc.
  8. Use of table linen and towels will be discouraged, and should be replaced by disposables
  9. An information sheet will be made available at the entrance, displaying the maximum number of guests allowed in place at any given time

 

Testing and quarantine procedures at the destination

 

Is random testing going to be done at the destination level?

A number of travellers, or in some cases entire flights, will randomly be asked to undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival, irrespective of where they flew from. The cost in such cases will be borne by the Cyprus government.

 

How will we deal with travellers who test positive during their stay in Cyprus, and what is our capacity to do so? What happens to their close contacts? Who will cover the cost of hospitalization and treatment?

  1. The Cyprus government is committed to taking care of all travellers who test positive for coronavirus during their stay, as well as their close contacts. The government will transfer these persons to a separate facility, covering the cost of lodging, food, drink, and medication; the traveller will only need to bear the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight, in collaboration with their agent and/or airline.
  2. A COVID-19 hospital with 100 beds will be made available exclusively for travellers who test positive for coronavirus, and these can be increased at very short notice if required.
  3. In addition, 500 rooms in dedicated quarantine-hotels will be made available for close contacts of persons who test positive for coronavirus, and again these can be increased at very short notice if required.

 

What is the definition of a close contact?

  1. A close contact is defined as ‘somebody who has come within very close physical contact of a person who has tested positive for coronavirus’. This may include for example, persons from the same family, co-travellers sharing the same room or even persons greeting each other by using physical contact.
  2. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), for confirmed cases of COVID-19 it is recommended that contact tracing from an airplane, includes passengers seated two seats in all directions around the index case.

 

What is the quarantine duration?

The normal duration of quarantine is 14 days, but this can be reduced if a traveller has an earlier return flight; in such a case, the patient needs to test negative for coronavirus on the day prior to their departure. Note that during the quarantine period, it is mandatory for the patient to self-isolate in their room at all times.

 

Further information

 

How can travellers be kept up-to-date with the latest developments, and informed about protocols implemented at the destination?

  1. A dedicated email address has been set up by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism for this purpose at [email protected].
  2. All relevant information will be made available on the websites www.visitcyprus.com and www.cyprusflightpass.gov.cy.
  3. Moreover, a dedicated team of destination experts will reply to traveller queries on Facebook Messenger (main page www.facebook.com/VisitCyprus.cy). Additional pages are available in the following countries: UK, DE, RU, SWE, FR, AT, GR, IT, UKR, NED, POL, BEL, ES, CH, ISR.

 

One Response to Full details of how to visit Cyprus for tourists

  1. Sammy says:

    Is there a ferry between Greece and Cyprus functioning now??

Leave a Reply