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Relaxations at the airports are approaching

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Relaxations at the airports are approaching

Adamos Adamou

For the time being, the only given relaxations regarding 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, in order, among other things, to facilitate travel, but also heavy industry of the place – namely, tourism.

The decision to change the destination's operating protocol was taken in January, with the Council of Ministers approving a proposal by the Ministry of Transport for the Action Plan for the smooth operation of flights and the operation of airports. The plan, as “F” is informed, will be valid from March 1, ie in two weeks from today, as any delay or postponement would create a series of problems in the planning of all local tourism operators, as well as their partners abroad. . It is known that travel planners and foreign airlines have already been informed about the plan, while the airport management company, Hermes Airports, is also preparing for the changes.

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What will change

In short, the plan will abolish the existing obligations of all arrivals on the island, for a negative test before departure to Cyprus, but also for a mandatory PCR test upon arrival at their own expense, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not.

Specifically, from March 1, for those who have been vaccinated or have been ill, entry into our country will not require these two tests from whatever category the traveler comes from, even from the Gray Category, which currently needs a special permit for to be able to travel to Cyprus.

The airport management company estimates that the changes are moving in the right direction, with the senior director of Aviation Development, Marketing & Communication of Hermes Airports, Maria Kouroupi, noting in “F” that it was something that the market also demanded.

According to Ms. 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 at the level of tourism, as travel will be facilitated in general by the new protocol. According to Ms. Kouroupi, 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 reminded that with the new protocol that enters into force on March 1, the categorization of countries changes slightly, since the Orange Category is abolished, while the changes that come out include the abolition, as we mentioned, of the issuance of a special travel permit in Cyprus for those from Grayland countries, if they have been vaccinated or infected with covid-19. Specifically, from March 1, 2022, the categorization of countries, based on their epidemiological risk, is differentiated and will include three categories with the following color code: Green, Red and Gray Category. As already announced by the Ministry of Transport, according to the new Action Plan, the Green and Orange categories of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) correspond to the Green Category of the Republic of Cyprus, while the Red and Deep Red categories correspond to the Red Category Democracy.

The vaccinated and the recovered

Vaccinated or recovering passengers, regardless of nationality and country of departure, are exempted from the obligation to meet the requirements of the respective category (eg presentation of a negative laboratory test result, obligation for self-limitation / quarantine, special permit, etc.) categorize the country from which they travel. For all passengers, however, the obligation remains to complete the CyprusFlightPass, within 48 hours before the start of their journey. Also, in the event of a sample check on arrival, all passengers must comply. With regard to vaccinated and recovering passengers, the new plan states that they may enter the Republic of Cyprus, provided they meet one of the following conditions:

• Hold a valid vaccination certificate from the competent authorities of any third country.

• Hold a certificate of recovery issued by a third country included in the list of third countries that have joined the EU COVID Digital Certificate System (EUDCC).

• Hold a European or equivalent from third countries Digital Certificate of Vaccination or Recovery COVID.

It is also clarified that the vaccination or recovery certificate will be considered acceptable only if all of the following conditions apply:

• 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 (Cor Covaxin, Sputnik Light (booster dose only) and Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19.

• Passengers 18 years of age and older: For travel purposes, the passenger must also have received the 3rd booster dose in case of a dual dose vaccine or the 2nd dose in case of a single dose vaccine, one of the above vaccines. Vaccination certificates for passengers who have received two doses of a single-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine will only be accepted if a period of 9 months has not elapsed since the date of the 2nd dose in the case of a double-dose vaccine or a single dose in the case of a single-dose vaccine.

• Passengers 18 years of age and younger: For travel purposes, the passenger is considered to have completed his / her vaccination schedule if he / she has received the 2nd dose in case of a two-dose 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 expired.

• In the case of a certificate of recovery, the travel date does not exceed 180 days from the first positive result.

Under what conditions will the unvaccinated travel?

Those passengers who have not been vaccinated or have not become ill, it is ensured that they will be able to travel to and from Cyprus, as they do today, provided that they submit a negative test and meet the other conditions set by the category of country of origin.

Specifically, 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 country of departure, only if they meet the conditions (eg production of a negative laboratory test result). self-restriction / quarantine, issuance of a special permit, etc.) of the respective category, in which the state from which they travel 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 and over, wishing to travel to the Republic of Cyprus from a Green Category country are required to undergo a 72-hour PCR laboratory test prior to departure or rapid antigen test validated 24 hours before departure.

• Red Class: Passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not have a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, aged 6 and over, wishing to travel to the Republic of Cyprus from a Red Class country are required to undergo a 72-hour PCR laboratory examination prior to departure. or rapid antigen test valid for 24 hours before departure, and undergo a PCR diagnostic test upon arrival at the Airports of the Republic of Cyprus, at the cost of the test to be borne by them.

• Gray Category (Special Permission): From the Gray Category (Special Permission) countries, only the following categories of passengers are allowed to enter the Republic of Cyprus: Cypriot citizens and their families (their foreign spouses and minor children) ), persons legally residing in the Republic, persons entitled to enter the Republic under 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 in the Republic of Cyprus, after a special license on the electronic platform CyprusFlightPass (https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/el/special-permission-request) granted by the Republic of Cyprus, as defined in the current Infection Schedule (Definition of Measures for Prevention of the Spread of the Korovirus COVID-19) Decree.

In addition, passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not have a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, aged 6 and over, who are allowed to travel to the Republic of Cyprus from a Gray Category country, are required as in all conditions that exist for the red category – in a pre-departure test and a test on arrival, at their own expense – and in addition must remain in a 14-day or 7-day compulsory self-limitation regime provided they undergo a PCR test on the 7th day with a negative result of their own expenses.

Regarding passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not have a valid vaccination or recovery certificate and belong to the cases of domestic workers or any other persons who have obtained prior permission to work in the Republic from the competent Ministries and Departments, as well as in the cases of from March 1, the previous decision of the Council of Ministers regarding the obligation of prepayment and quarantine in tourist accommodation in the Republic of Cyprus ceases to apply from March 1. It is understood, however, that the corresponding conditions of the Gray Category will also apply to these passengers.

Source: www.philenews.com

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