THE CYPRIOT SKIES ARE SLOWLY CLOSING

 Filenews 7 October 2020 - by Chrysanthos Manolis

Fifteen of the 27 EU member countries have been in the high-risk category (C) of the Republic of Cyprus since yesterday, with regard to the entry into Cyprus of visitors coming from them, while some others, such as Denmark and Greece, as well as the "leaving" United Kingdom, are a breath away from joining this category. Moreover, Germany is quite likely to be downgraded to category B.

It is clear that the epidemiological situation in Europe is deteriorating, in some countries rapidly, and gradually but steadily developing conditions in Cyprus... exclusion for a large part of the European population! In fact, if some pessimistic predictions by epidemiologists and others are confirmed, in Cyprus, as regards the deterioration of the situation in other EU countries, it is not excluded that in the next 2-3 weeks only Cypriot citizens returning or even Community citizens from a small percentage of member countries will be able to enter the country.

Yesterday's Bulletin of the Ministry of Health on the epidemiological risk assessment in other countries (which has been in force since 9/10) included four country downgrades and no upgrades. In particular, Lithuania was downgraded from category A to Category B and Belgium, Georgia and Slovakia were downgraded to category C, from category B they were in.

Is Brussels cut off?

The categorization of Belgium into high-risk countries is expected to cause problems in the transition to the EU administrative centre, for official or other professional reasons, state officials, a large number of state –semi-state officials and representatives of bodies from all sectors of economic and social life, as they will be obliged, as long as Belgium remains in category C , to be placed on their return to Cyprus in self-contained for 14 days and to undergo epidemiological tests at their own expense. In some cases, the increased use of the officials of the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the EU may be chosen, but in other cases it may be necessary to continue the representation of the country by state officials sent from Nicosia, regardless of their self-limit that follows.

Germany is also at stake

Based on yesterday's epidemiological risk assessment, only three European countries remain in the -theoretically harmless - category A: Germany, Latvia and Finland. Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand remain in Category A. However, the epidemiological situation in Germany has been seriously deteriorating in recent times and now looks quite likely to be downgraded to category B soon, which will affect a significant number of visitors.

In category B there are now eight EU Member States: Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. Category B also includes the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the Vatican, San Marino, Uruguay, China (including Hong Kong), Japan, Rwanda, Canada and Serbia.

Greece, United Kingdom

Category B is considered to be the precarious position of Greece, the United Kingdom, Denmark and possibly Ireland (within which the imposition of almost complete quarantine is discussed), due to the alarming levels of cases they have. As much as those responsible in Cyprus wish to delay or prevent the movement of Greece and the United Kingdom to category C, due to their multi-level relations with Cyprus, their deterioration seems inevitable, since epidemiologists in Cyprus now recognise that the situation in these two countries has deteriorated and hopes for rapid improvement are limited.

Epidemiologist Giorgos Nikolopoulos, who has a leading role in the categorization of countries, continues to argue through public statements that a good mechanism for testing people from Greece and the United Kingdom has been set up at the two Cypriot airports, without finding a large number of infected people. However, experience has shown that several of the cases with travel history were detected as part of a second or third test, several days after their entry into Cyprus and without the mandatory self-restriction. Therefore, the small percentage of negative tests on entry does not seem to be a completely safe method of establishing the range of risk. After all, the frequent calls of those responsible in Cyprus for repeat tests at the initiative of visitors can only reveal their concern about hatching the virus in the days following arrival in Cyprus. Apart from Greece and the United Kingdom, it is possible that Denmark will also be downgraded to category C, as on the basis of the reports in the foreign press and there the situation is not good.

High-risk countries are constantly increasing

Category C (concerning high-risk countries) includes Austria, Belgium (new entrant, after weeks of deterioration), Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, Malta, the Netherlands, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Andorra, Monaco, Switzerland, Algeria, Georgia, Morocco, Montenegro and Tunisia. It should be noted that those countries not listed in categories A and B are automatically considered to be included in category C and in accordance with the Infectious Diseases Decree (No. 30) in 2020 these countries are allowed to enter the Republic only certain categories of citizens, who have the option to choose to undergo a diagnostic test for COVID-19 disease on arrival in Cyprus or to have with them an RT-PCR COVID-19 certificate with a negative result, within 72 hours prior to departure.

It is noted that these persons should remain in self-contained status for 14 days. According to the Decree of the Minister of Health, No. 37,dated 12 August 2020, citizens who come from countries falling within category C must undergo a molecular examination for COVID-19 disease at their own expense, 48 hours before the end of their self-limit, which expires at 14 days. The result of the laboratory examination must be sent to the e-monada@mphs.moh.gov.cy.

Rejected the request of tourism operators the State

Yesterday's publication of the new epidemiological risk assessment is in fact a rejection by the government of the request made a few days ago by letter to the President of the Republic by major tourist operators of the place. The letter, which was communicated to the Ministers of Health, Finance and Transport and the Deputy Minister of Tourism, was signed by ACTA, PASYXE, STEK and Hermes Airport.

They asked Mr Anastasiades to relax the strict health framework and protocols relating to tourist traffic and to keep or upgrade to category B (regardless of epidemiological situation) the countries of the European Union and Schengen and the United Kingdom until April 2021. Their main argument was the finding that of the tests carried out at airports on arrival of passengers, less than 0.3% of the controlled passengers tested positive for the virus on arrival. According to the authors of the letter, a continuation of the strict protocol on the categorization of countries would be disastrous for the entire tourism industry but also for the economy of our country more broadly.