Cyprus subsidizing hotel costs to get people vaccinated

Cyprus’ deputy ministry of tourism has started offering subsidized holidays to vaccinated people as a means of encouragement to people to get the Covid-19 jab, a statement said on Tuesday.

At the same time, the Cyprus Employers’ Federation urged its members to consider banning employees who refuse to be vaccinated.

From Friday to the end of August, the government will pay 35% of the cost of accommodation at hotels and holiday apartments for individuals who present a certificate proving they have received at least one dose of one of the EU-approved vaccines, according to the statement.

The arrangement applies to all permanent residents of Cyprus. Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios said that about 25% of hotels and hotel apartments have applied to take part in the scheme, which also involves offering reduced prices.

He said the move is aimed both at increasing the percentage of vaccinated people and at helping the hotel industry to deal with the situation of reduced tourists from abroad. [Xinhua]