Cyprus is ready to welcome more tourists taking all precautionary measures against COVID-19, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos has said.
 
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the Minister said that the authorities are following all necessary protocols and procedures in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. He said that when the flights resumed and the airports opened, we had only a few flights and a few hundred passengers but now we have reached approximately 6,000 passengers on a daily basis. According to the Minister, the air traffic will increase, since UK will be added to category B as of August 1st.
 
Karousos also said that new flight destinations are added from and to Cyprus. He said that direct flights are added to France, from two airports in Denmark and from several airports in Germany, noting that there is an increased number of tourists from Switzerland and Austria.
 
Transport Minister said however that these are difficult times and we are gradually opening the airports and the flights, pointing out that it is important to maintain the advantages we have as  a country so that we can attract more tourists.
 
Invited to comment on complaints by passengers on a flight from Germany that their temperature was not taken, the Minister said that a thermal camera records the temperature of the passengers . He also explained that Germany is a category A country and no negative COVID-19 test is needed to travel to and from the country. He added that random tests are carried out by the Health Ministry.
 
Karousos also said that Greece is also a Gategory A country and added that the classification of various countries is done based on specific epidemiological data.