The government has set out in a decree issued by the Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou, the rules under which ship crews and other passengers will be allowed to enter the Republic from June 20 onward.
In particular, according to the decree from June 20, 0001 hours local time, persons who are members of crews of commercial vessels or crew members in drill ships which are conducting exploratory drills within the EEZ of member states the Republic has established diplomatic relations, or cruise ships crew which are decommissioned, or yacht crews who are either docking in the Republic’s ports or arrive by commercial or other flight from countries which are not included in the lists A and B will be allowed entry and / or departure from the Republic provided they abide by specific conditions.
The conditions are the following:
These people will be placed in self-isolation for 14 days prior to their arrival.
They will undergo a PCR test for COVID-19 prior to their arrival which should be negative and should present relevant proof of that or if this is not possible upon their arrival and if the test is positive, they should remain in mandatory isolation (quarantine) and the Ministry of Health’s medical protocol should be followed.
According to the decree, the company employing the crew and / or the agent in charge of the crew change will have to be responsible for their transport from the vessel to the airport and in case crew members arrive by airplane to transport them from the airport to their port of departure, under strict protection measures.
At the same time, if there is a great difference between the vessel’s and the flight’s arrival or if PCR test results are still pending the company and /or the agent will have to make arrangements with the authorities for the crew’s accommodation in specified places under isolation until the flight or the vessel’s arrival, the decree says.
It is further added that where possible crew members will have to remain on board the vessel until the date of their flight.
Seamen and crew members of vessels which dock in the Republic’s ports are also allowed as of June 20, at 0001 hours local time entry in the Republic under conditions.
In particular, vessels arriving in the Republic from countries included in category A and given that they have not docked during the previous 14
days in a country not included in the category, it is not mandatory for seamen and crew members to undergo a PCR test for COVID-19.
Vessels arriving in the Republic from countries included in category B and given that they have not docked during the previous 14 days a port from a country which is not included in the categories A and B, seamen and crew members will have to provide a negative PCR test for COVID-19, valid for 72 before the vessel’s departure or they will have to undergo a PCR test in the docking area and remain on board the vessel until the results are issued.
Seamen and crew members on board vessels that arrive in the Republic from countries which are not included in categories A and B, will have to have completed 14 days in self-isolation and filled in a specific form issued by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, as part of the protocol for the change of crew.
They will also have to undergo a PCR test for COVID-19 when they disembark and remain on board or in a space of mandatory isolation (quarantine) until the test results are issued.
If they test positive with COVID-19 they will have to remain in mandatory isolation (quarantine) and the Ministry of Health’s protocol will be followed.
Companies employing the seamen and crew members and / or their agents will also be responsible for their PCR tests, their transport and so on as in the case of commercial vessels or cruise vessels crew.
Passenger arrivals in Cyprus from June 20
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The degree also provides that as of 0001 hours local time on June 20, 2020, people arriving from countries included in categories A and B, irrespective of their nationality, will be allowed entry to Cyprus. Countries are included in the categories based on a risk assessment as announced by the Ministry of Health.
Passengers arriving from countries included in category A do not require to have undergone a PCR test for COVID-19.
Passengers arriving from countries included in category B, have to present proof that they have undergone a PCR test for COVID-19 by a certified laboratory, that it is negative, valid for 72 hours before their departure.
Passengers arriving from countries included in category B, in which there is proof that no PCR testing service exists for COVID-19 may undergo the PCR test upon their arrival in the Republic covering its cost themselves and remain in mandatory self -isolation until its result is issued.
At the same time, Cypriot citizens who are permanent residents in the Republic, their foreign spouses and their underage children and all legal residents of the Republic who arrive in Cyprus from category B may undergo a PCR test upon their arrival. They will be also asked to cover the cost of the test and remain in mandatory self -isolation until the test result is issued.
Persons arriving in the Republic who test positive with COVID-19 will have to remain in mandatory isolation (quarantine) and the Health Ministry’s medical protocol will be followed.
Cypriot citizens who are permanent residents of the Republic, their foreign spouses and their underage children, all lawful residents of the Republic and people whose presence in Cyprus is approved by a relevant medical authority to enhance the effort to deal with the coronavirus pandemic due to their professional or scientific capacity irrespective of their nationality will also be allowed entry to the Republic from 0001 hours local time, on June 20, 2020.
Patients regardless of nationality who have received treatment at an approved private or public hospital/medical center in the Republic and it is advisable they should continue it and first degree relatives of persons residing lawfully in the Republic and/or are financially active in the Republic (spouse, children, parents) for reasons of family reunion are also allowed to enter Cyprus, having first received an approval by a relevant Committee.
Everyone arriving in Cyprus from countries not included in categories A and B must have undergone a PCR test for COVID-19 which is negative, valid for 72 hours prior to their departure and present relevant proof or must undergo PCR testing upon their arrival in the Republic, covering its cost and remain at a place designated to them until its result is issued and then remain in self -isolation for a period of 14 days.
Everyone testing positive with COVID-19 upon their arrival will have to remain in mandatory isolation (quarantine) for 14 days and the Ministry of Health’s medical protocol will be followed.
It is further added that the airline ticket will be paid by each passenger with the exception of people the Republic has paid for to go abroad for medical reasons and everyone arriving in Cyprus to enhance the effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
People who have a right to enter the Republic in accordance with the Vienna Convention and arrive from countries not included in category A, will either have to have undergone a PCR test with a negative result, valid for 72 hours prior to their departure or undergo a PCR test upon their arrival and remain at a space designated by the authorities until the test result is issued.
Category A includes countries with a real reproductive rate (Rt) of less than 1 and / or a small number of new diagnoses (<1 / 100,000 inhabitants per day) and /or low or very low COVID-19 mortality (<5-10 / 100,000 inhabitants) and/or classification of sporadic cases or cluster of cases according to WHO and / or at least satisfactory laboratory testing (> 3000 tests / 100,000 inhabitants):
These countries are: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and South Korea.
Category B includes countries with a real reproduction rate (Rt) of more than 1 and/or a number of new diagnoses > 1 / 100,000 inhabitants per day and /or increased COVID-19mortality (> 10 / 100,000 inhabitants) and /or limited laboratory testing (<2000 tests / 100,000 inhabitants) or lack of classification according to WHO:
These countries are: Belgium, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Romania and United Arab Emirates.
(CNA)
