According to the latest data from IATA, Cypriots are banned from entering 16 countries as a result of Covid-19 travel measures, including EU-members Austria, Czech Republic and Portugal, and any nationals returning from Cyprus are placed in self-isolation. The countries are Austria, Costa Rica, Gabon, Grenada, India, Iraq, Niue, Portugal, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Czech Republic (only transit allowed), Fiji, Uzbekistan, and Bahamas. In addition, Cypriot nationals arriving at the USA, Russia, Norway and Belize are placed in two-week isolation.
A German tourist, from the same group as the others with COVID-19 was confirmed in the north early Saturday. This brings the told there to 34, of which 31 belonged to the original group of 39 German tourists who were quarantined in at the Salamis hotel after the diagnoses of the first case, a 65-year-old woman. The 14-day quarantine for the German tourists ends on Monday and they were preparing to return to their home country. There are 75 confirmed cases in the government-controlled area as of Friday night.
Supermarkets are scrambling to provide remote shopping and home delivery services for the increasing number of people staying and working from home who do want to venture out or mix with groups of people however small. The practice of online shopping for groceries is not yet well-established in Cyprus, a gap in the market which has been brought to the fore in recent days. Store owners are trying to meet the need expressed by hundreds of shoppers to provide a service which will see goods chosen and delivered to their door.
A total of 22 hotels have already reached agreement with the government to serve as quarantine facilities for repatriating Cypriots, while efforts are underway to find more beds. The 22 hotels have a capacity of 1700 beds and the target is 2000. All arrivals are subject to 14-day quarantine. A 14 day flight ban for passenger flights came into force at 3 am on Saturday but there is an exception allowing humanitarian flights which covers charter flights being organised by the government to repatriate those allowed to enter Cyprus under sweeping measures introduced to contain the spread of COVID-19.
