Filenews 30 November 2021 - by Chrysanthos Manolis
All countries of the European Union are classified by the Cyprus Epidemiological Surveillance Unit in the red category (and visitors from these countries need PCR upon arrival in Cyprus), except for Greece and Malta, which were maintained during the last evaluation in the orange category, which does not require PCR for those visiting Cyprus. However, ECDC, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has long placed - and maintains, according to the latest assessment, on 25/11 - Greece in the deep red, that is, in the countries most at risk in terms of the coronavirus pandemic. The ECDC places Malta in orange.
This is not the first time that Greece seems to receive, from the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health, treatment that is clearly not related to purely epidemiological criteria (unless we are dealing with a scientific failure of the unit's members), but rather politically and economically. Given the severe deterioration of the epidemiological situation in Greece in recent weeks, keeping it in the orange category is a potential danger to the inhabitants of Cyprus, as the control requirements of those arriving from Greece (Cypriots, Greeks and citizens of other states) are clearly inferior to the requirements for countries that are in the red category.
The outrageous thing is that the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit itself says in a statement that the orange countries are "countries with a potentially low risk but with more doubt compared to the green category"!
Obviously, the assessment that Greece is a country with a potential low risk is not adopted either by the Prime Minister of the country, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who just a few days ago made a dramatic address to the Greek people, tightening the measures taken in his country.
Moreover, yesterday's announcement of the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit states that "the classification for the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), including Switzerland, in the Categories Green, Orange or Red, is based on that of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)", which as we explained above is unfounded, since the evaluation of the European body for Greece is different.
According to yesterday's announcement for the "epidemiological risk assessment of countries related to COVID-19, dated 29/11/2021", the changes made (in relation to EU countries) concern the placement of Italy in the red category (ECDC has half of it in the orange category) and the downgrading of Spain and Portugal to the red category (it is also in the red category of ECDC). Greece, as mentioned above, remains in the orange category and is essentially the only misspelling of the Cyprus Unit, in relation to the ECDC evaluations.
Green category
Based on the Cypriot evaluation, the green category countries (no COVID-19 laboratory testing certificate is required, nor self-containment) include the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
In the orange category (they are required to have carried out a PCR laboratory test within 72 hours prior to their departure, with a negative indication) Greece, Malta, Argentina, Australia, Japan, Israel, Canada, Qatar, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Colombia, Namibia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Rwanda, Chile were placed.
In the countries of the red category (laboratory test within 72 hours prior to their departure and have a certificate, proving a negative PCR test for the virus AND b) to carry out a laboratory test upon their arrival in the Republic of Cyprus) were included Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City, San Marino, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Egypt, Armenia, Georgia, United States of America, United Kingdom, Jordan, Belarus, Lebanon, South Korea, Oman, Ukraine, Peru, Russia and Serbia.
