Filenews 1 July 2021 - by Adamos Adamou
Cyprus has caught up with the timetables and is ready, from today, not only to accept but also to issue the European Digital Certificate COVID, which aims to facilitate free movement and travel in the EU.
However, there is concern to concern, in many EU countries, whether it is possible to use the certificate smoothly, as the authorities of each country have the right to additional and different restrictions, which may bring travellers before painful surprises. In addition, professional bodies in the civil aviation and transport sectors are concerned that checks on the triple certificate could cause chaos at airports, given the increased traffic expected in the coming weeks.
The certificate will be proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, has undergone a diagnostic examination with a negative result or has recovered from the disease, but is not a travel document or pass for free movement. The certificate will be issued free of charge in digital and printed form.
In fact, since yesterday Cyprus has been issuing through the www.eudcc.gov.cy platform its own certificates for its residents, with the process being very simple and consisting of only four steps, as explained during the presentation made by Deputy Innovation Minister Kyriakos Kokkinos.
For days now, Cyprus has also announced that from today 1 July, the date of entry into force of the relevant European regulation, it will start accepting digital certificates, but excluding digital antigen certificates (Rapid Tests), i.e. those issued with the production of a negative Rapid Test, since the existing categorization of countries will be maintained. , as well as the obligations to enter the country accompanying each category.
Every country as it wants...
Each Member State can decide for itself which digital certificates it will accept, as confirmed yesterday by Transport Minister Giannis Karusos, who presented the European Digital Certificate COVID, together with Mr Kokkinos.
That is why it is important, Added Mr Karusos, that citizens, before travelling, consult the national competent authorities of their destination, as each country formulates its own policies.
In the same context, the official communication issued yesterday calls on citizens who intend to travel, to consult the website/application Re-open EU (reopen.europa.eu) or the national authorities of their country of destination, for information on the guidelines and travel guidelines of each country.
It is noted that Europe's tourism bodies have already asked in a letter to EU leaders for harmonisation with regard to standards and protocols for the purpose of verifying the digital certificate, in order to avoid queues and inconvenience to passengers. In a letter sent the day before yesterday, signed by the Association of European Airlines A4E, the Association of European Airports ACI EUROPE and IATA, they even warn, in view of summer and increased traffic, of significant operational risks, since they see at least 10 different approaches between the 27 Member States with regard to the implementation of the Digital Certificate Regulation.
The example of Germany
It is noted that the EU DIGITAL COVID certificate will apply in all EU Member States, as well as in the countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland, with a view to contributing to the coordinated lifting of the existing restrictions. In particular, when travelling, the holder of an EU DIGITAL COVID certificate should in principle be exempted from restrictions on free movement: Member States should not impose additional travel restrictions on holders of the EU COVID digital certificate, unless restrictions are necessary and proportionate to ensure public health. If they decide otherwise, for example by reacting to a new variant of the virus of concern, Member States should notify the Commission and all other Member States of their decision and justify it. It is noted that Germany has done this by imposing additional restrictions and quarantines on those returning from Portugal as a result of the D mutation.
Caruso took it in a few seconds.
Residents of Cyprus who wish to obtain the certificate for travel purposes to the EU should visit the www.eudcc.gov.cy which has been in operation since yesterday. The homepage of the platform presents the four steps that should be taken to issue and receive the European Digital COVID Certificate. The first step invites the user to choose which certificate he needs, the second invites him to fill in his details, with the third step inserts on the platform the OTP, the code that will be sent to him on the mobile phone upon completion of his data and the fourth and final step invites the user to download or print his certificate.
In a few days, possibly from today, the certificate will also be able to be stored on the mobile phone, via the wallet app CovPass. Apparently wanting to show the ease of using the platform, the Transport Minister held his own digital certificate in the context of yesterday's presentation, stating that it took himself just a few seconds to issue it through the website.
The European Digital Certificate COVID can be issued in digital and printed form and is available in both Greek and English. Contains a QR code with a digital stamp that ensures its authenticity, which is verified by scanning the code.
If you're having trouble, make an appointment at a Citizens Centre
The certificate may be issued in the following three cases, which the citizen will choose as the first step:
1 if you have been vaccinated (with one or two doses) and registered on the relevant basis of the Ministry of Health.
2 if you have been laboratory diagnosed with COVID-19 with molecular methodology (RT-PCR) and the result has been declared and registered on the relevant basis of the Ministry of Health.
3 if you have undergone a COVID-19 laboratory test within the last 7 days by antigen rapid test or molecular methodology (RT-PCR) and have received a negative result and the result has been registered by the laboratory in the relevant database of the Ministry of Health.
For information and support, citizens can contact the COVID-19 Service Centre at tel 1474. If they cannot obtain the certificate electronically, they can visit the Citizen Service Centres (JEPs) and the Citizen Centres (KE.PO), by appointment, for the issue of the certificate.
The transport minister invited citizens planning to travel in the coming days to visit the platform for registration, and urged those intending to travel at a later stage to register a few days before the trip. From today and for a period of six weeks, the use of the certificates used to date will also be permitted. The existing procedure for completing CyprusFlightPass remains necessary.
Sampling and rapid testing at airports
The acceptance of the digital certificate as of today is not expected to relax controls at Cypriot airports. On the contrary, as the Minister of Transport made known yesterday, the entrance gates of the Republic appear to be further shielded, as a result of the Delta mutation, which again raised alarm worldwide.
As announced yesterday by Giannis Karousos, on a proposal from his ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, rapid tests will now be used in the random checks, with the aim, as he said, "all passengers travelling to Cyprus, especially from countries categorized in the red category, to be checked by rapid test, in addition to any other checks , so that there is a first and immediate indication of the result'.
It is worth noting that today, those arriving from countries belonging to the red category, to which Russia belongs, a country from which Cyprus currently receives the most arrivals, if they are not vaccinated are allowed to enter with two PCR tests, one they do before their departure and one upon their arrival in Cyprus , at their own expense.
Until the result of the second PCR is published, these persons must remain limited, which poses some risks, in the case of tourists, since self-reduction is difficult in cases of mass arrivals and it appears that these risks have also forced rapid testing on random checks carried out at airports.
It is recalled, however, that all those who are vaccinated are not obliged to undergo diagnostic tests, but, like all those who arrived in Cyprus, are subject to random checks.
As Giannis Karousos pointed out yesterday, the existing procedure for registering the necessary data by passengers on the CyprusFlightPass online platform should also be followed for everyone.
At the same time, in relation to the application of the digital certificate, he said that holders of UNION digital vaccination certificates would be exempt from any restrictions, other than the obligation to pass a random check, if selected, and that the same would apply to holders of the recovery certificate. Holders of digital PCR laboratory examination certificates will not be exempted from existing restrictions and the existing procedure will be followed on the CyprusFlightPass online platform, which relates to the categorization of countries (green, orange, red and grey category). As regards the PCR laboratory test, it will continue to be accepted and use of certificates other than digital. However, the ministry recommends, even for laboratory analysis, that everyone issue the relevant digital certificate, for the purpose of facilitating their travel.
