Cyprus is now ready to welcome travelers from various countries. Having successfully dealt with the Covid-19 epidemic, we are glad to let you know, that you can explore our beautiful island once again. For further info regarding traveling back to your favourite destination, please click here
Below link you can find the countries of origin divided into two categories (A and B, based on the internationally available epidemiological data.
The list of countries in each category will be reviewed and reevaluated on a weekly basis.
COVID-19 Destination Protocol – Cyprus
Entry into the country
Q1: How will travelers be able to enter the country?
a. Source countries are divided into two categories (A and B) based on internationally
available epidemiological data. As of 20th June, persons flying from Category A
countries face no restrictions when traveling to Cyprus; people traveling from
Category B countries are required to have a PCR test done at the source country,
72 hours prior to travel. The PCR test certificate will be requested prior to aircraft
boarding, and should also be displayed at border control at the destination.
b. For travelers from Category B, whose country is unable to make PCR testing
widely available to the public, compulsory testing will be required upon arrival at
Cyprus airports. The cost of testing is borne by the traveler, and the expected cost
is estimated at 60 Euros per person (this may eventually drop as technology
advances are made and international availability of testing kits increases). Test
results will be available up to 24 hours later, so in the meantime travelers will be
asked to self-isolate at their booked accommodation.
c. Travel from countries which are not featured in the above two categories, is
allowed only in exceptional circumstances and after receiving prior approval by the
Cyprus government. This will also be the case for transit travel via these countries.
Q2: What other documentation is necessary?
a. A ‘COVID-19 Traveler Declaration’ will be made available on the Cyprus Ministry of
Foreign Affairs website, which can be accessed and filled in electronically. For
traveler facilitation, copies will also be made available at airport check-in counters.
A filled-in copy of the declaration will be requested prior to boarding, and at border
control at the destination.
b. The declaration will include the following points: a) a questionnaire requesting
information on a person’s travels in the 14 days prior to visiting Cyprus b)
confirmation that a person has not traveled 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.
Q3: What criteria is taken into consideration before categorizing countries?
a. Cyprus has decided to follow a categorization system in order to ensure equal
treatment of countries with similar epidemiological results. The system is transparent, avoids discrimination, is dynamic, and evaluated weekly, so that countries can be added and removed based on the latest data available. The team which evaluates country data on a weekly basis, is comprised of scientists,
epidemiologists, statisticians and public health professionals.
b. Examples of data points which are considered for each country (the list is not
exhaustive) are: effective reproduction number ‘R(t)<1’ of the virus; daily cases per
100’000 population; weekly deaths per 100’000 population; weekly number of
performed tests per 100’000 population; prevalence of the virus within the community; risk assessment of each country based on data from WHO and ECDC.
No data point alone can define the categorization of each country; instead, categorization depends on the summary of all data points considered.
Transport protocols
Q4: What protocols can be expected before/during flights?
a. Prior to boarding, travelers will need to show their valid PCR test certificate (if
applicable) and ‘COVID-19 Traveler Declaration’
b. Travelers’ temperature may possibly be taken prior to boarding
c. Wearing of masks may be made compulsory during the flight
Q5: What other protocols can be expected at the Cyprus airports?
a. Entrance or passage will only be allowed to travelers and staff
b. Travelers will have their temperature taken at border control
c. A physical ‘COVID-19 Information Desk’ will be made available for travelers
requesting information upon arrival Destination protocols
Q6: Are there any general protocols that will apply to the whole destination?
a. 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.
b. 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).
c. 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).
d. Frequent aeriation will be taking place in all indoor areas, so that air conditioning
can be enhanced with regular input of fresh air.
e. Antibacterial gel will be made available in all establishments, at entrances,
reception areas, lounges, public toilets, lifts etc.
Q7: Buses/rental vehicles/taxis/diving and safari jeeps
a. Frequent aeriation and disinfection of buses
b. Disinfection of rental vehicles after their return (including keys)
c. Disinfection of all touch points after every route, for taxis and diving/safari jeeps
(door handles, seats etc.)
Q8: 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.)
Q9: Swimming pools, beaches and water parks.
a. Disinfection of sun beds, umbrellas and personal safe boxes after every use
b. Distance of 4m between umbrellas and 2m between sunbeds of persons not
belonging to the same group
c. Physical distancing will not apply to life guards who are called into urgent life-saving
action
Q10: Accommodation establishments.
a. Use of masks and carrying out of appropriate hand hygiene, for all housekeeping
and service staff
b. Dispersion of guests at ‘group check-in’
c. Rooms will not be allocated to new arrivals, unless enough time has passed for
appropriate cleaning, disinfection and aeriation
d. Disinfection of room keys/cards after every departure
e. Where food or drink is displayed on self-service stations, appropriate sneeze
guards and hand disinfection stations are installed; alternatively, items could be
served directly by the staff or guests may be encouraged to use face masks.
Q11: Restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs and night clubs.
a. Use of masks and carrying out of appropriate hand hygiene, for all back-of-house
and front-of-house staff; masks will not be compulsory for service staff operating
outdoor daytime restaurants, due to the intense heat
b. Service times will be extended, and advance booking enabled, to facilitate physical
distancing
c. The maximum party size is set at 10 persons
d. The minimum distance between tables not belonging to the same party, is 2 meters
from corner to corner
e. 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
f. Guests will be encouraged to pay by card and not by cash
g. 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.
h. Use of table linen and towels will be discouraged, and should be replaced by
disposables
i. An information sheet will be made available at the entrance, displaying the
maximum number of guests allowed in place at any given time
Testing at the destination
Q12: Is random testing going to be done at the destination level?
Some travelers will, on a random basis, be asked to undergo a COVID-19 test
upon arrival, irrespective of where they flew from. The cost will be borne by the
Cyprus government.
Q13: How will we deal with travelers who test positive during their stay in Cyprus, and what is our capacity to do so?
What happens to their close contacts i.e. their co-travelers or family members?
Who will cover the cost of hospitalization and treatment?
a. The Cyprus government is committed to taking care of all travelers who test
positive during their stay, as well as their families and close contacts. The government will cover the cost of lodging, food, drink, and medication, in all cases mentioned above; the traveler will only need to bear the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight, in collaboration with their agent and/or airline.
b. A COVID-19 hospital with 100 beds will be made available exclusively for travelers who test positive, and these can be increased at very short notice if required. If
travelers show critical symptoms, an additional 112 intensive care units are
available for their treatment, with 200 respirators on hand at any time for their
perusal.
c. 500 rooms in dedicated quarantine-hotels will be made available for close contacts
of persons who test positive, and again these can be increased at very short notice
if required. This will not only ensure that they are properly taken care of, but it will
also provide peace of mind to other travelers, that their accommodation establishment is free of COVID-19. Should therefore an accommodation
establishment be found to host a person who has tested positive, it will not be
ordered into a 14-day quarantine; instead, rooms used by the person who tested
positive and close contacts, will undergo a deep clean and disinfection, before
being utilized again.
Further information
Q14: How can travelers be kept up-to-date with the latest developments, and informed about protocols implemented at the destination?
a. A dedicated email address has been set up by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism for
this purpose, at travel2020@visitcyprus.com.
b. All relevant information will also be made available on the website
www.visitcyprus.com/cyprus-covid19-travel-protocol
c. Moreover, a dedicated team of destination experts will reply to traveler queries on
Facebook Messenger (main page http://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.
Source: Deputy Ministry of Tourism