Cyprus reopens to vaccinated holidaymakers

Pre-pandemic holidaymakers enjoying Konnos Bay Beach, Ayia Nappa.

Cyprus has become the latest country to reopen restriction-free to vaccinated holidaymakers.

However, visitors must be fully vaccinated and the final jab administered at least seven days before travel. Crucially, the vaccine must also have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

According to deputy tourism minister Savvas Perdios, Cyprus has informed the United Kingdom, one of the country’s biggest tourist markets, that from May 1 Cyprus would “facilitate the arrival of British nationals who have been vaccinated”.

There has been no indication as to how visitors must prove their inoculation status and Cypiot authorities reserve the right to carry out random Covid-19 tests on arrivals.

Cyprus has undergone various lockdowns for a year but has maintained a mild level of infections relative to the rest of Europe. It has so far recorded 36,000 cases and 232 deaths.

Britain is currently surging ahead of the rest of the world with its vaccination programme. To date, more than 21 million residents have been vaccinated with either the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca or Moderna jabs. All are approved by the EMA.

It is currently illegal for Britons to travel internationally but restrictions are expected to lift from May 17 if infection levels carry on dropping and the vaccination programme continues apace.

Cyprus began allowing vaccinated Israeli tourists to enter the country from April 1.

No mention has been made of exemptions for minors, although under 12s are excluded from Cyprus’s current travel restrictions. The coronavirus vaccine is approved for use for those over the age of 18 years, although trials are currently taking place in Britain on minors with a view to expanding the vaccination programme to children in the autumn.

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