Cyprus removes order for UK arrivals to self-isolate
Cyprus has done a swift U-turn and revoked an order for UK holidaymakers arriving on the island to go into self-isolation due to fears that it would damage its tourism industry.
However, they will still be asked to restrict their movements to ‘the absolutely necessary’ and they must monitor their health and report any symptoms of coronavirus.
The measures were imposed by the Greek Cypriot government after a local heart surgeon returned to the island with the virus after visiting the UK, and treated a patient the same night.
Cyprus initially stated that everyone arriving from the UK must self-isolate for 14 days, but it has since relaxed the order due to fears of causing huge economic damage, according to the Cyprus Mail.
The island is still requiring arrivals from Hubei in China, Italy, Iran and South Korea to go into quarantine, while travellers from the rest of China China, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, France and Spain will be under obligatory self-isolation for 14 days.
The Cyprus Mail said the travel industry had warned the government that restricting the number of visitors from the UK, the mainstay of the entire tourism industry, would have destroyed the sector and inflicted huge and long-term damage on the economy.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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