Filenews 13 February 2022 - by Adamos Adamou
The only, for the moment, given relaxations in the management of the pandemic are those that will take effect from March 1 at the entrances of the country and specifically at the two airports, with the aim, among other things, of facilitating travel, but also of the heavy industry of the country - that is, tourism.
The relevant decision to change the protocol of operation of the destination was taken in January, with the Council of Ministers approving a proposal of the Ministry of Transport for the Action Plan for the smooth conduct of flights and the operation of airports. The plan, as "F" is informed, will be valid normally from March 1st, i.e. in two weeks from now, since any delay or postponement would create a series of problems in the planning of all tourist operators of the place, as well as their partners abroad. As you know, tour operators and airlines abroad have already been informed about the plan, while the airports' managing company, Hermes Airports, is also preparing for the changes.
What will change
In summary, the plan will abolish the existing obligations of all arrivals on the island, for a negative test before their departure to Cyprus, but also for a mandatory PCR test upon their arrival at their own expense, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not.
Specifically, as of March 1st, for those who have been vaccinated or have been ill, entry into our country will not require these two tests from whatever category the traveller comes from, even from the Grey Category, which currently needs a special permit in order to be able to travel to Cyprus.
The airports' managing company believes that the changes are moving in the right direction, with the senior director of Aviation Development, Marketing & Communication of Hermes Airports, Maria Kouroupi, even noting to "F" that it was something that the market was also asking for.
According to Mrs. Kouroupi, the changes are expected to facilitate procedures at two levels, both in terms of passenger management at the two airports upon arrival, and more broadly in the level of tourism, since travel in general will be facilitated by the new protocol. According to Mrs. Kouroupis, Hermes Airports is already redesigning its procedures, not only in view of the new protocol, but also in view of the increase in flights that is expected to occur, compared to last year, at the two airports of the island.
The new categories
It is recalled that with the new protocol that comes into force from March 1st, the categorization of countries is slightly changed, since the Orange Category is abolished, while from the changes that are coming, the abolition, as we mentioned, of the issuance of a special permit for travel to Cyprus for those who come from countries of the Grey Category, if they are vaccinated or have been sick with covid-19, stands out. Specifically, as of March 1, 2022, the categorization of states, based on their epidemiological risk, is differentiated and will include three categories with the following colour code: Green, Red and Grey Category. As already announced by the Ministry of Transport, according to the new Action Plan, the Green and Orange categories of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) correspond to the Green Category of the Republic of Cyprus, while the categories Red and Deep Red correspond to the Red Category of the Republic of Cyprus.
The vaccinated and the convalescent
Vaccinated or recovered passengers, regardless of nationality and country of departure, are exempted from the obligation to meet the requirements of the respective category (e.g. presentation of a negative result of a laboratory test, obligation for self-isolation / quarantine, issuance of a special permit, etc.), in which the state from which they travel has been categorized. For all passengers, however, the obligation remains to complete the CyprusFlightPass within 48 hours before the start of their journey. Also, in the case of random checks upon arrival, all passengers without exception must comply. As far as vaccinated and recovered passengers are concerned, the new plan states that they may enter the Republic of Cyprus, provided that they meet one of the following conditions:
• Hold a valid vaccination certificate from the competent authorities of any third country.
• They hold a recovery certificate issued by a third state included in the list of third countries that have joined the EU Digital Certificate System (EUDCC).
• Hold a European or equivalent from third countries Digital Certificate of Vaccination or Covid Recovery.
It is also clarified that the vaccination or recovery certificate will be considered acceptable only if all the following conditions apply:
• It has been issued by the public authorities of the states,
• The vaccine is one of: Johnson&Johnson/Janssen, AstraZeneca, (Vaxzervia, COVISHIELD, SKBio), Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Sinopharm (BBIBPCOVID-19), Sinovac (CoronaVac), Covaxin, Sputnik Light (only as a booster dose in a basic vaccination regimen) and Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19.
• Passengers 18 years and older: For travel purposes, the passenger must have received the booster 3rd dose in case of a dosing vaccine or the 2nd dose in case of a single-dose vaccine, one of the above vaccines. Certificates of vaccination of passengers who have received two doses of dosing vaccine or a single-dose vaccine shall be accepted only if a period of 9 months has not elapsed since the date of administration of the 2nd dose in the case of a two-dose vaccine or of one dose in the case of a single-dose vaccine, respectively.
• Passengers 18 years and under: For travel purposes, the passenger is considered to have completed his vaccination regimen if he has received the 2nd dose in case of a dosing vaccine or the one dose in case of a single-dose vaccine.
• The time frame for travel purposes set by the Ministry of Health and posted on the CyprusFlightPass platform for each vaccine has passed.
• In the case of a recovery certificate, the travel date does not exceed 180 days from the first positive result.
Under what conditions will non-vaccinated people travel?
Those passengers who have not been vaccinated or have not been ill, it is ensured that they will be able, as today, to travel to and from Cyprus, provided that they will present a negative test and meeting the other conditions set by the category of the country from which they come.
In particular, passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, regardless of nationality, will be able to enter the Republic of Cyprus from any state of departure, only if they meet the requirements (e.g. presentation of a negative result of a laboratory test, obligation to self-quarantine/ quarantine, issuance of a special permit, etc.) of the corresponding category, in which the state from which they are travelling has been categorized. The conditions set by each category are as follows:
• Green Category: Passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, aged 6 years and over, who wish to travel to the Republic of Cyprus from a Green Category country are obliged to perform a laboratory PCR test valid for 72 hours prior to departure or a rapid antigen test valid 24 hours before departure.
• Red Category: Passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, aged 6 years and over, who wish to travel to the Republic of Cyprus from a Red Category country are required to perform a PCR laboratory test valid for 72 hours prior to departure or a rapid antigen test valid 24 hours before departure, and undergo a PCR diagnostic test upon their arrival at the Airports of the Republic of Cyprus, with the cost of the test being borne by them.
• Grey Category (Special Permit): From the countries of the Grey Category (Special Permission), only the following categories of passengers are allowed to enter the Republic of Cyprus: Cypriot citizens and their family members (foreign spouses and their minor children), persons legally residing in the Republic, persons entitled to enter the Republic in accordance with the Vienna Convention, European citizens, citizens of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland and persons of third-country nationality, who are entitled to enter the Republic of Cyprus, following a special permit on the CyprusFlightPass (https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/el/special-permission-request) electronic platform granted by the Republic of Cyprus, as defined in the current Infectious Diseases (Determination of Measures to Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus) COVID-19) Decree.
In addition, passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, aged 6 years and over, who are allowed to travel to the Republic of Cyprus from a country of the Grey Category, are obliged as in all the conditions that exist for the red category - in tests before their departure and in tests upon their arrival, at their own expense - and in addition they should remain in a regime of mandatory self-isolation of 14 days or 7 days provided that they undergo a PCR test on the 7th day with a negative result at their own expense.
With regard to passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate and belong to the cases of domestic workers or any other persons who have secured prior permission to work in the Republic from the competent Ministries and Departments, as well as in the cases of workers in the agriculture/livestock sector, as of March 1st, the previous decision of the Council of Ministers regarding the obligation to prepayment and quarantine in tourist accommodation in the Republic of Cyprus. It is understood, however, that the corresponding conditions of the Grey Category will also apply to these passengers.
