The planning of the airlines was facilitated due to the timely planning by the government. The plan was approved in December last year and will take effect tomorrow, March 1, with additional security measures, however, recently decided by the Council of Ministers, due to the mutations of the virus.
In addition, as the Minister of Health Konstantinos Ioannou stated only on Thursday, the beginning of the new categorization does not stop the tests at the airports. As he said “we will do sampling tests on all the flights that will come – even from the” Green “category”.
With regard to the Action Plan for the gradual resumption of flights and the reopening of airports, which will take effect from tomorrow, the Council of Ministers decided on the following adjustments:
1. For the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) including Switzerland, there is no amendment. That is, from March 1, 2021, the countries of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) will be categorized, which will be classified in the categories green, orange or red.
2. For the month of March, for the third countries (United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Lebanon, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Belarus), as well as for the list of third countries of the European Council, the These countries will be conducted by the Ministry of Health, which will classify them in green, orange, red and gray. Those of the above countries classified in the gray category will need a special entry permit and in addition passengers will have to submit a PCR laboratory analysis within 72 hours before departure. Self-restraint / quarantine measures will apply in this category.
3. From 1 to 31 March 2021, arrivals from any of the above countries, which has been classified in the green category, will undergo a laboratory PCR test, the cost of which will be covered by the KD.
4. It is noted that, for March, all passengers, regardless of category, arriving in Cyprus will have undergone a PCR laboratory test.
5. From 1 April 2021, the evaluation and ranking of third countries will be done in the categories green, orange or red, according to the criteria of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). As third countries, in addition to the United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Belarus, are added, as of April 1, 2021, and Serbia, Qatar, Bahrain, United States , Armenia and Georgia.
6. Those countries not included in the above will be classified in the Gray – special license category.
7. In addition, it was decided to extend, until March 31, 2021, the 7-day stay measure in places indicated by the Republic of Cyprus for those arriving from the United Kingdom.
9. It is reminded that the following applies to each category:
i. Category Green. In this category, all passengers, upon arrival in Cyprus, from the 1st to the 31st of March 2021 will undergo a PCR laboratory analysis, the cost of which will be covered by the Republic. From April 1, 2021 there will be no restrictions, a practice that is still valid today.
ii. Category Orange, which will require the submission of a negative PCR laboratory analysis within 72 hours before departure, a practice that is still valid today.
iii. Category Red, which will require double laboratory analysis, ie negative PCR laboratory analysis within 72 hours before departure and another PCR laboratory analysis upon arrival in Cyprus. No self-restraint / quarantine measures apply in this category. It is noted that Cypriot citizens and legal residents of the Republic can choose to carry out a laboratory test only upon arrival in Cyprus. In this case, they should remain in a mandatory self-restraint regime according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health, unless they provide additional laboratory analysis with a negative PCR within 72 hours before departure.
iv. Gray category – special license. The procedure for granting a special permit to enter the Republic for third country nationals will be followed (Cypriot citizens, legally resident in the Republic of Cyprus and European citizens are excluded from the grant of a special permit). In this category, arrivals should remain in a mandatory self-restraint regime, according to the relevant instructions of the Ministry of Health.
