People spend their time at the seaside in Larnaca, Cyprus, on April 6, 2022. Cyprus will lift most travel restrictions as of April 18, while a wide range of other anti-coronavirus restrictions will be eased as of April 11. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
NICOSIA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus will lift most travel restrictions as of April 18, while a wide range of other anti-coronavirus restrictions will be eased as of April 11.
The categorization of countries according to their epidemiological situation will be scrapped, and travelers will no longer be required to obtain a CyprusFlightPass, Cyprus' Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works said in a statement.
Vaccinated people will be allowed into the country without taking a coronavirus test, while unvaccinated travelers will only be required to provide a negative 24-hour rapid test or 72-hour PCR test.
Children under the age of 12 will be exempted from all COVID-19 checks.
As of April 11, people will no longer be required to wear a mask outdoors, said Health Minister Michalis Hadipantelas. The SafePass will only be required for health workers and people entering health care units, medical centers, and care homes for the elderly.
No SafePass will be required to enter shops or shopping malls, public service premises, museums on archaeological sites and open air markets and festivals. However, it will be required to enter restaurants, including those within malls.
Theaters and cinemas can operate at full capacity, while the permitted attendance level at stadiums will remain at 75 per cent.
The minister said that infected people will only have to quarantine for seven days, and will no longer have to take a rapid test at the end of this period, provided they have no visible symptoms. Quarantine can also end after five days if a negative PCR test can be provided, at the expense of the patient.
Close contacts of an infected person will only have to quarantine for five days, provided they take a rapid test on the third and fifth day after contact.
The announcement of the easing of measures was made as the number of daily COVID-19 infections fell from a record high of almost 6,000 about three weeks ago to below 3,000 on Wednesday.
However, Hadjipantelas warned that the relaxation of measures must not be misinterpreted, "as COVID-19 is still here and experts insist that it is not a simple cold."
The measures were relaxed based on data showing that despite the high number of infections, not many patients require hospitalization, and very few are intubated. Deaths are also rare, and mostly occur among elderly people with underlying medical problems. ■
People spend their time at the seaside in Larnaca, Cyprus, on April 6, 2022. Cyprus will lift most travel restrictions as of April 18, while a wide range of other anti-coronavirus restrictions will be eased as of April 11. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
People walk on a beach in Larnaca, Cyprus, on April 6, 2022. Cyprus will lift most travel restrictions as of April 18, while a wide range of other anti-coronavirus restrictions will be eased as of April 11. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
People walk on a street in Larnaca, Cyprus, on April 6, 2022. Cyprus will lift most travel restrictions as of April 18, while a wide range of other anti-coronavirus restrictions will be eased as of April 11. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)