in-cyprus 1 June 2020 -Bouli Hadjioannou
Larnaca and Paphos Airports are ready to reopen on June 9, and several airline companies have already notified authorities that they will be scheduling flights, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said on Monday without elaborating.
The airports will open in two phases, June 9 and June 20. During phase one, all arrivals will required a certificate that they have tested negative for coronavirus. In phase two, arrivals from group A (13 of the 19 countries on the initial list) will not require a certificate. Arrivals from the other six will.
Travel from countries not featured in either category, 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.
Karousos said Cypriots and permanent residents will have the option to carry out the lab test on arrival in Cyprus, and cover the cost themselves. They must remain in self-isolation until the result is out.
In phase two, group A countries will not need a certificate but will have to complete a questionnaire. Group B will require a certificate. Cypriots, permanent residents and individuals with special permission can do the test on arrival here.
Asked whether the current list of 19 countries is to be expanded, the minister said that the Health Ministry was categorising countries and more are expected to be added in the next few days.
“The Health Ministry is continuing to evaluate the epidemiological data of countries so as to update the various categories and additional countries will be announced in the next days,” he said.
Experts see the situation improving in Europe and as the epidemiological situation improves, so will their category, he said.
Group A is made up of Greece, Malta, Bulgaria, Norway, Austria, Finland, Slovenia, Hungary, Israel, Denmark, Germany, Slovakia and Lithuania.
Group B is Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Croatia, Estonia and Czechia.
Protocols will be in place when airports reopen, including taking the temperature of passengers on entering. Only passengers and staff will have access to the airport.
Everyone must wear a mask and gloves. There will be a special information desk on Covid-19 for arriving passengers as well as signs on the measures being taken at the airport to protect passengers and staff. There will also be signs on the proper use of masks and gloves, hand hygiene and the two metre distancing requirement.
