South Cyprus Health Ministry on Tuesday issued a revised list of countries regarding their epidemiological risk as regards coronavirus for travel purposes, moving Serbia from Group B to Group C and Australia from Group A to Group B.
The new list is effective as of July 16.
The Ministry said that for the update it also took into account the recommendation of the European Council dated June 30 for the gradual and coordinated lifting of travel bans to the EU.
Passengers from Group A are not required to present a certificate they have undergone a coronavirus test that came out negative.
Those from Group B will have to present such a certificate from a recognised lab no older than 72 hours prior to departure. Only Cypriot citizens permanently residing in the Republic and their underage children and legal residents can carry out the test here at their own cost and they must self-isolate at home until the result is out.
In the case of Group C and countries not on the list, only Cypriots and legal residents are allowed to come to Cyprus. They are tested and need to self-isolate.
All passengers, irrespective of category, are obligated to submit an application online for CyprusFlightPass (https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/) within 24 hours before their flight departs.
Classifications of countries are based on the reproduction rate R (t) for Covid-19, the number of new cases, the number of tests, the mortality rate per 100,000 people, the estimated prevalence and WHO indicators.
Classification of countries based on epidemiological risk is exceptionally dynamic and can change at any given moment as the pandemic develops, the ministry said.
For this reason, new data will be announced and the list will be regularly updated, it added.
The countries have been classified as follows:
Group A – Low-risk countries currently
These are countries with R (t) of below 1 and/or a small number of new cases (<1/100,000 inhabitants a day) and/or very low COVID19 mortality (<5-10/100,000 inhabitants) and/or sporadic cases or cluster of cases according to WHO and /or at least satisfactory tests (>3000 tests/100,000 residents):
EU members: 1) Austria, 2) Germany, 3) Denmark, 4) Greece, 5) Estonia, 6) Ireland, 7) Latvia, 8) Lithuania, 9) Malta, 10) Hungary, 11) Poland, 12) Slovakia, 13) Slovenia, 14) Finland
Schengen members: 1) Switzerland, 2) Iceland, 3) Liechtenstein, 4) Norway
Third countries: 1) Japan, 2) Canada, 3) New Zealand, 4) South Korea
Group B – Countries with possible low risk but with greater doubts compared to Group A
These are countries with R (t) above 1 and/or new cases of >1/100,000 people a day and/or increased COVID-19 mortality (>10/100,000 people) and/or limited lab tests (<2000 tests/100,000 people) or lack of classification by WHO.
EU members: 1) Belgium, 2) Bulgaria, 3) France, 4) Spain, 5) Italy, 6) Croatia, 7) Luxembourg, 8) Netherlands, 9) Romania, 10) Czech Republic
Small nations: 1) Andorra, 2) Monaco, 3) Vatican City, 4) San Marino
Third countries: 1) Georgia, 2) Uruguay, 3) Australia
Group C — Countries with increased risk compared to Groups A and B
- EU members: 1) Portugal, 2) Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Third countries: Serbia
