The birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite, in Paphos, Cyprus
With less than 1,000 confirmed cases of contagion and 17 deaths till the date, Cyprus It is one of the European countries least affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
Given the improvement in the situation and the imminent arrival of summer, many states have begun to announce the reopening of their borders as well as the measures and restrictions they will take to guarantee the safety of visitors while trying to revive tourism and the economy.
A) Yes, Portugal plans to reopen its beaches on June 6, Italy will reopen its borders with the European Union on June 3 and Greece, where locals already enjoy the sea, hopes to receive tourists again from July 1 if the situation continues to evolve favourably.
Last Tuesday it was the Cypriot government that pronounced itself, assuring that the island will reopen to tourism in June. It did so in a ministerial letter detailing the health and hygiene protocols to follow.
Also, Cyprus undertakes to cover all the costs of any person who tests positive for coronavirus during their stay in the country, according to the aforementioned letter, signed by Nikos Christodoulides (minister of foreign affairs), Yiannis Karousos (minister of transport) and Savvas Perdios (deputy minister of tourism).
Cyprus wants to start receiving tourists in June
HOW WILL THE REOPENING TO TOURISM BE CARRIED OUT?
According to the ministerial letter, Cyprus, will reopen its international airports on June 9 to 19 countries and passengers must undergo the coronavirus test in their country of origin three days before departure.
This measure will be lifted on June 20 for 13 countries included in category A: Malta, Greece, Bulgaria, Norway, Austria, Finland, Slovenia, Hungary, Israel, Denmark, Germany, Slovakia and Lithuania.
Also, one category B It brings together low-risk countries, but higher compared to category A, which must continue to undergo the test: Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Croatia and Estonia.
The list will be reviewed weekly and expanded to more countries depending on the continuous analysis of their contagion data. In the case of Spain, as it does not appear on said list at the moment, entry into the country is only allowed with the approval of the Cypriot government.
The government will cover the costs if a traveler contracts coronavirus
THE TRAVELER'S DECLARATION
Tourists must also complete a 'Covid-19 traveler statement' indicating trips made 14 days before your arrival to Cyprus, which has not been to a country that does not appear in categories A and B on the list drawn up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has shown no symptoms of covid-19 in the last 72 hours, who has not been in contact with infected people 14 days before.
THE GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS WILL BEAR THE COSTS IF A TRAVELER BECOMES INFECTED
If a traveler tests positive for coronavirus during their stay in Cyprus, the government will cover the costs of accommodation, food, drink and medicine. Patients will only have to pay for transportation to the airport and the flight back to their country.
Another of the measures contemplated in the letter is that there will be a traveler-only hotel that can accommodate up to 100 patients. In the event of critical symptoms, 112 intensive care units with 200 ventilators will also be available.
Likewise, 500 rooms will be available to accommodate family members or travel companions of patients, having been in contact with them.
Chrysochous, Polis, Cyprus