NICOSIA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus took further steps on Monday to restore normality by easing COVID-19-related restrictions on travel and social gatherings, the authorities said.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works said that an action plan for abolishing most travel restrictions, originally scheduled for March 1, has been brought forward by one week.
For a transitional period until Feb. 28, all arrivals in the country aged 12 and above will only be required to take a mandatory PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.
The action plan classifies the countries of departure as green, red or gray based on their COVID-19 risk levels. Cyprus's green category corresponds to the European Center of Disease Control's (ECDC) green and orange categories, and the red to the red and deep red categories.
Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said that under the new rules the vast majority of countries will be listed as green or red.
Incoming passengers who hold a certificate of full vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 will be exempt from all other requirements for their home country irrespective of their nationality or country of departure.
All incoming passengers will still be required to obtain a CyprusFlightPass within 48 hours of departure.
A Ministry of Health official said that under the new rules unvaccinated people will be allowed access to restaurants, cafes, hotels, theaters, cinemas and athletic events upon presentation of a negative rapid test result taken within 24 hours.
The maximum number of people allowed into entertainment venues will be increased from 200 to 250.
For the first time in almost two years, dancing will be allowed at hospitality venues. However, since dance clubs are still considered high-risk premises, patrons (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) will be required to present a negative rapid test result at the gates. ■
