Cyprus has vowed to cover the costs of any tourist who gets affected with COVID-19 while on holiday there. This decision comes in light of the country reopening its tourism sector from next month.
Provisions for tourists
The government said it would pay for accommodation, medicine, and food for patients and their families. Authorities also said that tourists themselves “will only need to bear the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight.”
The country has confirmed 939 Covid-19 infections and 17 deaths, according to data by Johns Hopkins University. Officials have also told that a 100-bed hospital would be set aside specifically for tourists who test positive. Several “quarantine hotels” for the patients’ families will also be set up.
Cyprus airports will reopen in June
Cyprus plans to reopen its airports on June 9th to several countries that appear to be low risk, including Germany, Greece, Israel, and Malta.
Savvas Perdios, Deputy tourism minister, confirmed visitors from the UK and Russia will likely be allowed to travel to the Mediterranean island in July. Together, they account for more than half of all holiday-goers in Cyprus.
However, due to the ban on flights, there are highly limited and indirect commercial options currently available to return to the UK from Cyprus, according to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). This is not expected to change before mid-June. The FCO also currently advises against all but essential travel, while Brits face quarantine on arrival back in the UK.
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