Open Letter
to British Nationals in Cyprus on COVID-19
The world is facing an
unprecedented crisis in tackling the spread of COVID-19. Prime Minister Boris
Johnson has declared it the biggest threat the UK has faced in decades. In
Britain and Cyprus the authorities are introducing radical measures to protect
the population from the virus.
I know that many of our
British community here in Cyprus are worried about the current situation, the
new restrictions imposed by the government, and feeling isolated from friends
and family back home. I am writing to you to address some of these concerns,
and set out what the High Commission is doing and how we can support.
We are regularly updating
our Travel Advice for Cyprus (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cyprus) and encourage
you to use this as your first point of reference for updates on the local
situation, subscribing to alerts if you have not already done so.
Tourists
Around 5000 British
tourists were able to leave the island before the closure of hotels and the
flight ban which came into force on Saturday 21 March. We continue to liaise
with local authorities, airlines and tour operators on next steps for those
tourists who were unable to leave, or chose to stay. As always, we continue to
focus our consular effort on those most in need of assistance, including the
elderly and those in need of medical assistance.
The flight ban to and from
the island is currently in operation until 4 April in the Republic, and until
further notice for flights into the north of the island. So if you are a
tourist you need to focus first on ensuring that you have accommodation until
you are able to secure a flight home. Although hotels in the Republic have
closed, there is still a lot of other accommodation available, which can be
found on the usual websites.
The government in Cyprus
has said that even during the ban it will allow passenger flights to arrive in
Cyprus empty, to take people back home. So you should continue to check airline
websites regularly for new flight options. This could include flying to a third
country and changing flights to get back to the UK – but in that case please
check FCO travel advice for the third country in case there are any
restrictions on Britons entering.
At the same time, flight
websites may not always be accurate. If you have a booking that falls within
the ban period, contact the airline to ensure it will still be leaving as
advertised.
British
residents
The High Commission is
keeping in close touch with community representatives as we face this crisis
together. Difficult times like this can bring out the best in people as they
look out for each other in shared adversity. I know there are already some
great community initiatives to help more vulnerable members of the community,
including the Helping Hand Cyprus group and the Cyprus Aid website (https://cyprus-aid.com/). Please tell us about others so we
can help you to promote them. And where you have concerns, please use your
local British community representatives to share them with us. For the time being, our
advice for British residents of the island is to: Ensure you keep in touch with friends and family to support you
during this period.
·
·
Follow the advice of local authorities. You must be ready to
comply with local isolation, testing or quarantine requirements, and will need
to rely on the local health system.
·
Follow our Travel Advice for further developments affecting
British nationals on the island.
·
If you continue to use a UK mobile phone, consider getting a
local SIM card for your telephone to facilitate contacting local hotlines, such
as 1420 for suspected coronavirus symptoms, and 8998 for requesting permission
to leave your home. Attached to this letter is a short summary of rules on
leaving your home over the coming period.
·
Only contact us on +357 22 861100 (choosing the consular option)
if you require urgent consular assistance, so that we can dedicate our time to
helping the most needy.
For British nationals
living in the north of the island, we understand your concerns about being
unable to cross the Green Line at the present time, the risk of overstaying
your permitted length of stay due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, and the
potential risk of medical shortages. We are monitoring the situation and are in
touch with local authorities and the British Residents’ Society. As elsewhere
in the island, please ensure you comply with local restrictions on leaving your
homes.
We also know that some
British residents of Cyprus wish to return, but are unable to do so. We realise
that this is frustrating, and you may have obligations which you need to attend
to here. However, until flights resume, you have little choice but to remain
where you are. Please note that even after flights resume, you will need to
comply with the Republic’s health certification and quarantine rules.
Additionally, the authorities in the north have prohibited re-entry for foreign
residents until further notice.
Finally, the High
Commission remains in close contact with the administration of the Sovereign
Base Areas on their approach to the crisis, and the Bases are closely mirroring
measures introduced in the Republic to stem the spread of the virus and protect
the local population.
The next few weeks are set
to be a testing time for all of us, not only here on the island, but all around
the world as new restrictions are placed on daily life in order to attempt to
curb the spread of the virus. Please look after yourselves during this period,
follow medical advice on the basic precautions which we can all take to protect
ourselves from coronavirus, use your extra free time at home to do things you
enjoy, or have been putting off for a while, and look out for friends and
neighbours who may require extra support. Please also continue to follow us on
Facebook and Twitter for new information and updates.
Best wishes,
Stephen Lillie CMG
British High Commissioner
ANNEX
Summary of restrictive
measures put in place on personal movement within Cyprus applicable to all
Republic
of Cyprus
The Republic has imposed a
partial curfew from 18:00 on 24 March until 13 April. During this period
everyone must avoid any “unnecessary movement”, with the following exemptions:
1.
transfer to and from the workplace.
2.
visiting a pharmacy, a doctor, or for a blood donation;
3.
visiting a store to obtain essential goods or services;
4.
visiting a bank if a transaction cannot be done online;
absolutely necessary visits to state services, public-sector services or
municipal services;
5.
visiting persons who are unable to help themselves or are in
self-isolation;
6.
going outdoors for exercise or to walk one’s pet, for two
persons at a maximum and the distance must be close to one’s residence;
7.
attending ceremonies like funerals, weddings or baptisms,
provided you are a first-degree or second-degree relative and the gathering
must be no more than 10 people at any one time;
8.
any other reason (generic) for moving outside that may be
justified despite the restrictions.
People who want to travel
to and from their workplace need to carry this form completed by their employer once for the duration of
the curfew period.
For any of the other
categories, people need to fill in this form or send a SMS to 8998, with the following information
in the body of the message:
·
the number from 1 to 8 corresponding to the reason you are going
outside, followed by a space
·
your ID number, followed by a space
·
your Cyprus postcode
A reply should come within
10 to 15 seconds, authorising you to be outdoors for a maximum of three hours
from the time the permission is granted. We understand there have been initial
glitches with the SMS system and it may be discontinued. If no SMS response is
received, you should fill out and sign one of the printed forms before you go
outside.
The fine for not following
the above rules is €150.
northern
part of Cyprus
On 22 March the
administration in the north imposed a partial curfew until 6 April. Only
essential businesses will remain open during this time, and people will only be
able to leave their houses to fulfil their basic needs, such as shopping and
accessing essential services. They should return to their residences as soon as
their needs have been met and should not go outside for other purposes.
Exemptions to the above
rules only apply to private sector personnel who are permitted to work towards
addressing basic needs, and public sector personnel who provide crucial
services (police, fire department, municipalities, civil defence, district offices
etc.).
According to local
legislation, anyone violating the partial curfew will be subject to criminal
prosecution.
