Cyprus has long been a popular destination for English holidaymakers, and has been one of the most successful countries in Europe at handling the coronavirus pandemic.
Currently, the Mediterranean island is on the UK’s list, which means Brits won’t have to quarantine for 14 days on their return.
However, the air bridge list remains under constant review, and here’s the latest travel advice for Cyprus.
Is Cyprus on the quarantine list?
Sunbeds lie at the beach ready for tourists, in the resort town of Ayia Napa in southeastern Cyprus (Photo: Florian Choblet/AFP)
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The Mediterranean island reopened its borders to certain nationalities in June, with British visitors welcome to visit.
However, as of 1 August 2020, the UK was put in Cyprus’ Category B, meaning the tourists are permitted to travel to Cyprus but they need to proved a negative Covid-19 test result on arrival, obtained within 72 hours before travel.
On 31 July 2020, the Republic of Cyprus government announced that test results can be in the form of an email or SMS, but the result itself and/or appointment letter must include the date and time when the test was taken.
Children under 12 years old do not require to be tested in order to travel to Cyprus.
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Initially, the Government said travel corridors would be reviewed every three weeks.
However, Downing Street has confirmed reviews will be taking place on a weekly basis, and countries can be removed from the list on short notice.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We keep data on all countries and territories and any decision by ministers will be informed by health experts.”
Italy, San Marino and Vatican City were the latest countries to be added to the quarantine list, while Crete was removed, meaning that holidaymakers travelling to the island will no longer have to self-isolate for two weeks on their return.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against non-essential international travel, except to countries and territories exempt from advice against all but essential international travel.
How is the quarantine list decided?
Each UK nation sets its own quarantine list – although they have generally been very similar.
The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBS) – set up by the Government to monitor coronavirus – works with the chief medical officers of each UK nation and advises which countries should be on its list.
The UK considers imposing quarantine on travellers when a country’s infection rate exceeds 20 cases per 100,00, over seven days.
The following additional factors are also considered:
the estimated proportion of the population that is currently infectious
trends in the number of cases and deaths
information on a country’s testing capacity
how much the virus has spread, including clusters of cases and the level of transmission in the community
