Cyprus to further relax travel curbs

Nicosia, Jan 20 (IANS) Starting from March 1, Cyprus will further relax travel restrictions by dropping pre-travel coronavirus tests for vaccinated visitors and those who have recovered from the disease, a senior official said.

“Travellers who are vaccinated or have recovered, irrespective of their nationality and country of departure will be exempted from the obligation to present a negative result of a laboratory test, as well as of the obligation to self-isolate or be quarantined or obtain a special permit,” said Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Yiannis Karousos.

Travellers will be considered vaccinated if they have either received a third (booster) dose or have received two doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single dose vaccine, and no more than nine months have elapsed since their last jab, reports Xinhua news agency.

Acceptable vaccines include Janssen, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Covaxin, Sputnik Light (only as a booster dose in basic vaccination scheme) and Nuvaxovid.

Karousos said that travellers who have recovered from an infection need a certificate issued by a country included in the European Union Digital Certificate System COVID (EUDCC).

The travel date must not exceed 180 days from the first positive diagnosis.

Unvaccinated people or those who have not recovered from Covid-19 infections will be allowed to enter Cyprus provided that they fulfil the requirements set for the category of the country they travel from, said the Minister.

Those coming from ‘green’ category countries as listed in the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control must have a 72-hour PCR test or a 24-hour rapid test.

Travellers from ‘red’ or ‘deep red’ category countries must in addition take a PCR test on arrival at their own expense.

All passengers will still be required to complete the CyprusFlightPass within 48 hours before their flight and they must also comply with random Covid-19 tests on arrival.

–IANS

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