Cyprus lifts Covid-related restrictions

All Covid-related measures and travel restrictions at the Republic of Cyprus’ ports and airports will be lifted as of Wednesday, June 1, the island’s Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos announced on Friday, after a cabinet meeting in Nicosia that approved the suggestion by his ministry.

According to a statement on Friday from the Ministry of Health, masks will no longer be required in indoor spaces as of June 1. Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela said that the issue of mandatory mask use at airports and ports was still being discussed, but as of June 1, all travelers arriving in the Republic of Cyprus, regardless of country of origin, will not be required to present a valid certificate of vaccination or recovery or a negative PCR or rapid test.

Karousos said the decision meant a return to normality as regards travel. He noted that flight capacity was at very high levels, with passenger traffic in May estimated at 77% of the corresponding period in 2019, before the pandemic – i.e. an average of 30,000 passengers a day.

“Of course, efforts are under way to increase this rate and capacity even more and the results are fairly positive. We will not only reach but surpass the target we had set as regards flight capacity and the number of passengers,” he added.

At Friday’s cabinet meeting, Hadjipantela presented the suggestions of the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee with regard to the remaining Covid measures.

According to the announcement, the ministry stated that epidemiological indicators had been stable in recent weeks, resulting in a decrease in hospitalizations due to the coronavirus. Therefore, there is a need to review and adjust protective measures concerning Covid-19.

As of June 1, citizens are no longer required to use a protective mask indoors or outdoors, excluding high-risk areas such as hospitals, nursing homes, closed structures housing vulnerable groups, healthcare facilities (outpatient clinics, medical centers, rehabilitation centers) and public transport.

Moreover, as of the above date, patients at public and private hospitals will be allowed two visitors per day (only one at a time) as long as they can present a 24-hour rapid test or 48-hour PCR test. However, the number of visitors may be increased in extremely urgent cases provided that approval is obtained from hospital management.