|
19-07-2021 14:11 |
|
Epidemiological
risk assessment of countries concerning COVID-19, dated 19/07/2021 |
|
Following a decision of the Council of Ministers, on 18 February
2021, regarding the Action Plan for the gradual resumption of flights and the
re-opening of airports, the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit of the Ministry
of Health has made a re-evaluation of the epidemiological situation in
various countries as regards COVID-19. The categorization for the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) as well as Switzerland, in the Green, Orange or Red Categories, is based upon that of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). With regard to third countries
(United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates,
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Belarus, Qatar, Serbia, United States of
America, Armenia, Georgia, Bahrein), in addition to Kuwait and Canada as of
1/6/21, as well as those countries included in the updated list of the European Council Recommendation (EU)
2021/89 for the gradual lifting of temporary restrictions for non-essential
travel within the EU, these are evaluated epidemiologically by the Ministry
of Health and are categorized into the Green, Orange and Red categories. The following categorization of
countries, based on the epidemiological risk assessment, is extremely dynamic and may be
modified at any moment as the pandemic evolves and the
epidemiological data changes. For this reason, new data will be announced and
the list of countries will be updated frequently. Green Category countries – Low
risk countries at current stage
It is noted that passengers coming from the Green
Category countries are not required to hold a COVID-19 test
certificate or self-isolate. Orange Category countries -
Countries with possibly low risk but greater uncertainty compared to the
Green Category
It is noted that passengers
coming from Orange Category countries shall
be required to undergo a PCR laboratory test within 72 hours prior to
departure and to possess a certificate showing a negative PCR result. It is also clarified that
passengers from Orange Category countries, falling into the following
categories, may
undergo the molecular examination upon arrival in the Republic: 1. Cypriot citizens and family
members (alien spouses and their underage children), 2. Persons legally residing in
the Republic, 3. Persons entitled to enter
the Republic under the Vienna Convention, and 4. Persons, irrespective of
nationality, whose countries of residence (Orange category) do not provide a
laboratory testing service, upon substantiation and following an announcement
by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus. It is noted that the examination cost will be borne by
themselves and in addition, such persons shall remain in self-isolation until
the test result is issued. Red Category countries –
Increased risk countries compared to the Green and Orange Categories:
It is noted that passengers
coming from Red Category countries shall be required to: a) undergo a PCR laboratory test
within 72 hours prior to departure proving a negative PCR result and
b) undergo a laboratory
test upon their arrival in the Republic of Cyprus. The examination cost will be borne by themselves and in addition, such persons should remain in self-isolation
until the test result is issued. The following categories of
passengers may enter the Republic of Cyprus from Red Category countries,
after having undergone, at their own expense, a laboratory test only upon
their arrival in the Republic of Cyprus: 1. Cypriot citizens and family
members (alien spouses and their underage children), 2. Persons legally residing in
the Republic, and 3. Persons entitled to enter
the Republic under the Vienna Convention. In such case, persons falling
within the categories 1-3 above must remain
in mandatory self-isolation for 72 hours upon arrival and after the end of the 72-hour period
they must undergo another PCR test, at their own expense. If
the repeat test is negative, they can then terminate their isolation. The
test result must be sent to the following email address: monada@mphs.moh.gov.cy. Grey Category countries
(Special Permission): Countries that are not
mentioned in the aforementioned categories (green, orange and red) are
considered to belong in the Grey Category (Special Permission). For the Grey
Category countries, entry into the Republic of Cyprus is only allowed for the following
categories of passengers: 1. Cypriot citizens and family
members (alien spouses and their underage children), 2. European citizens and
citizens of European Economic Area countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)
and Switzerland, 3. Persons legally residing in
the Republic, 4. Persons entitled to enter
the Republic under the Vienna Convention, and 5. Third country nationals who
are allowed to enter the Republic of Cyprus following a special permission
from the Republic, as this is defined in the Quarantine Decree (N.9) of 2021, as this is modified each
time. It is noted that passengers
coming from countries of this Category shall be required to undergo a
laboratory test at a certified lab within
72 hours prior to departure for Cyprus and to possess a
certificate showing a negative PCR result. Excluding category number 2 above, the rest of the
passengers may undergo the laboratory test upon their arrival
in the Republic of Cyprus, at their own expense. Passengers arriving in the
Republic of Cyprus from the Grey Category countries (Special Permission)
shall remain in mandatory self-isolation or mandatory quarantine for a period of fourteen (14)
days or alternatively, in mandatory self-isolation or mandatory quarantine for
a period of seven (7) days provided that they undergo another Covid-19
test (at their own expense) on the 7th day and the result
comes back negative. It is noted that the above
categorization of countries shall
take effect on 22 July 2021. Conditions applied to vaccinated passengers The Ministry of Health
clarifies that the following apply,
as of 10 May, to vaccinated passengers arriving in the
Republic of Cyprus from its points of entry: Passengers holding a valid
certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 arriving in Cyprus from abroad,
regardless of their nationality and country of departure, shall be exempted from
the obligation of
laboratory testing and self-isolation/quarantine, subject to
the following conditions: 1) They hold a valid certificate of vaccination
issued by the following states: (i) EU Member States (including
Cyprus), (ii) EEA Member States
(Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), (iii) Switzerland, (iv) Israel, (v) United Kingdom, (vi) Russia, (vii) United Arab Emirates, (viii) Saudi Arabia, (ix) Ukraine, (x) Jordan, (xi) Lebanon, (xii) Egypt, (xiii) Belarus, (xiv) Serbia, (xv) Qatar, (xvi) Bahrein, (xvii) United States of
America, (xviii) Armenia, (xix) Georgia, (xx) Canada (xxi) Kuwait, and (xxii) China. 2) They have been vaccinated
either with one of the
vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer/BioNTech,
AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen), or with Sputnik V vaccine, or with Sinopharm
vaccine (BBIBP COVID-19), or with Sinovac vaccine, and have completed their vaccination
scheme. It is noted that for vaccines that are
administered in two doses, passengers must have been administered both doses,
while for the Janssen vaccine (single dose vaccine) 14 days must have elapsed
between the administration of the vaccine and the date of travel. More
information is available on: https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/en/vaccinated-passengers. It is also noted that all passengers, regardless of the
country’s category, including those holding a valid certificate of
vaccination, are obliged to apply for the CyprusFlightPass 48
hours before the departure of their flight. Moreover, for the
protection of public health and the monitoring of the epidemiological
situation, passengers of selected flights (including passengers holding a
vaccination certificate) may undergo a random laboratory molecular testing
carried out by the Ministry of Health. (MK) |
