Can I travel to Cyprus? Latest UK advice and Covid cases update ahead of today’s quarantine review

Cyprus has been one of the most successful countries in Europe at handling the coronavirus pandemic.

This is partly because it has been very careful in allowing tourists in from abroad.

However, the number of Covid-19 cases has been rising in recent weeks, prompting fears that the island might lose its travel corridor with the UK.

Here is everything you need to know about whether you can book a holiday to Cyprus this summer.

Can I go on holiday to Cyprus?

Cyprus began allowing tourists from the UK on Saturday 1 August.

You will need to present a negative coronavirus test result, taken in the 72 hours before departure, upon arrival to be allowed in.

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.

What is the latest travel advice for Cyprus?

Cyprus is exempt from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice against all but essential international travel.

This means people from the UK can travel to Cyprus for holidays and book travel insurance.

Could Cyprus go back on the UK’s quarantine list?

Cyprus is on the UK’s air bridge list, meaning you do not have to quarantine for 14 days upon arriving back home.

Cyprus recorded 1687 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the 14 days leading up to 29 October, according to the European Centre for Prevention Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). A very small number compared to the UK’s 287,631 cases over the same period

However, figures from the PC agency show Cyprus has recorded an average of 111.è cases per 100,000 people over a seven day period as of 29 October – this is is above the benchmark of 20 cases per 100,000 that the UK Government has been using to inform quarantine rules.

This means the islands is at risk of losing its travel corridor with the UK.

However, the Government has preciously warned it will reinforce quarantine for countries which see a sharp spike in cases.

“We have to keep the situation under review and I think that is what the public would expect us to do,” junior health minister Helen Whately told Sky News.

“If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine, we would have to take action because we cannot take the risk of coronavirus being spread again across the UK.”

Review of the quarantine list now take place every Thursday, with changes being announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter.

Liechtenstein was the latest countries to be added to the quarantine list, while the Canary Islands, the Maldives, Denmark and Mykonos were removed, meaning that holidaymakers travelling to these destinations will no longer have to self-isolate for two weeks on their return.

Original Article