‘Everybody is going be allowed to fly’: Cyprus minister says unvaccinated travellers should be welcome this summer
Exclusive: ‘We need to provide enough certainty so that people can start looking ahead and planning their holidays,’ said Savvas Perdios
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Your support makes all the difference.British holidaymakers may well be welcomed to Cyprus this summer regardless of their vaccine status, the deputy tourism minister has said.
Savvas Perdios had earlier said: “We shall facilitate the arrival in Cyprus of those British nationals who have been inoculated with vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency.”
The minister indicated that UK tourists who have completed a course and waited a week “can come here without needing a negative test and without needing to quarantine”.
But speaking exclusively to The Independent, Savvas Perdios revealed there is much more to the Cypriot plan than just a “have jab, can travel” regime.
“International travel has been battered, decimated, and the aviation industry and the tourism industry has really been put under tremendous stress,” he said.
“In order for the industry to get off its knees it needs some stability. We felt that we need to provide enough certainty so that people can start looking ahead and planning their holidays.”
The minister said hopes the whole of the UK will appear on the island’s “green list”.
“Everybody is going be allowed to fly,” he said. “We will be categorising the UK into one of three categories: green, orange or red. If the UK is in a green category then no testing is required. If it’s in an orange category, a test in advance is require. And if it’s in a red category then a double test is needed: one in advance and one upon arrival.
This comes into effect from 1 April: uninterrupted for everybody from the UK.
“On top of this, from 1 May we will be facilitating travel for everybody who has an authentic vaccination certificate.”
Mr Perdios said he was working with the UK authorities to come up with a workable system of authenticating vaccination status.
But he stressed: “It is a given that anyone who wishes to travel needs to follow UK travel advice.”
At present residents in England have been told they will not be able to travel abroad before 17 May.
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