Cyprus Mail 1 April 2021 - by Evie Andreou
Only nationals of Cyprus and Israel and permanent residents in both countries who hold a valid vaccination certificate will be able to travel to Cyprus without any restrictions, authorities clarified on Thursday.
The transport ministry had announced on Wednesday evening that as per a cabinet decision, that from April 1, all passengers who were vaccinated against Covid-19 and held a valid certificate from the Republic of Cyprus, would not be subjected to self-isolation and mandatory testing upon arrival.
This raised confusion about who exactly could enter the country as the ministry’s original announcement spoke of all vaccinated people, which was acknowledged by the ministry.
A transport ministry spokesperson on Thursday clarified for the Cyprus Mail that the change concerned Cypriots, Israelis and permanent residents in Cyprus and Israelis who have been vaccinated and hold valid vaccination certificates issued by these two countries.
These passengers must still obtain a CyprusFlightPass. If they meet the required conditions, these passengers will be able to travel to Cyprus from any country category, green, orange, red or grey, without having the obligation to meet the prerequisites of the corresponding category, such as RT-PCR tests, self-isolation, or quarantine, or the special permission to enter Cyprus.
They are not exempt, however, from the random testing carried out by the health ministry at the airports as well as the meticulous implementation of the health protocols valid in the Republic.
Authorities point out that vaccinated passengers from Cyprus and Israel must make sure that a specific number of days, determined by the health ministry, has elapsed between the last dose (depending on the vaccine administered) and the date of travel. They are urged to receive more information from the Cyprus flightpass portal.
Τhe vaccination certificate will be considered valid provided bearers have received one of the jabs approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the required doses of the respective vaccine have been completed.
For the rest of the passengers, the protocols currently in place apply, the spokesperson said.
A health ministry spokesperson told the Cyprus Mail that visitors from other countries will have to comply with all measures against the spread of coronavirus applied in Cyprus, including the curfew.
This means they will also need to get permission to go outside. People with a foreign mobile telephony provider must call +357 22 285777 for permission. An automated message gives them instructions on what to do. When the procedure is completed, they receive the permission to go out on their mobile phones.
