Cypriot authorities have announced that from August 2, all travelers entering from Switzerland, France and the United States will be subjected to double testing.
The decision was made after the three countries were switched from orange to red, as they have recently registered an increased level of infection, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
With the exception of the recently added countries, the red category of Cyprus also includes the following countries:
EU member states: Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Malta, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Microstates: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino
Schengen countries: Iceland
Third countries: Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Egypt, Georgia, United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Japan, Belarus, Kuwait, Montenegro, Brunei, Moldova, South Korea, Russia and Ukraine.
Therefore, all persons entering Cyprus from one of the countries placed in the red category must pass a PCR test within 72 hours before departure and pass another test upon arrival in Cyprus.
“The cost of the survey will be borne by them, and in addition, such persons must remain in isolation until the results of the survey,” the government said in a statement.
In an update this week, the Cypriot authorities also announced that Italy, Lithuania and the Vatican City State had been moved from the green category to the orange category, and Luxembourg had been moved from the red list.
Cyprus introduces a double testing requirement for arrivals from Switzerland, France and the United States
The orange category, which represents countries with a moderately high level of risk, also includes:
EU member states: Belgium, Estonia, Finland and Greece.
Third countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Qatar, China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), Lebanon, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Travelers arriving from these countries must present a negative PCR test, which was conducted 72 hours before the trip to Cyprus.
On the contrary, travelers who come from the green category, which includes low-risk countries, are excluded from the rules of testing and self-isolation.
This means that newcomers from Liechtenstein will no longer be required to present a negative test result, as the country has been placed in the green category.
With the exception of Liechtenstein, which was recently added to the list, the green category also includes the following countries:
EU member states: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Croatia, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the Czech Republic.
Schengen countries: Norway
Third countries: Australia, Jordan, Northern Macedonia, Canada, New Zealand, Serbia, Singapore.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the beginning of the pandemic in Cyprus, 102,223 cases of COVID-19 infection have been detected and 422 deaths have been registered.