After three months of writing about the trials and tribulations of facing up to the coronavirus pandemic in Cyprus, I thought maybe its time to change the scenery, as there’s only so much of a killer disease one can take.
We’d all like to take a break from this enduring nastiness but holiday options are thin on the ground while the virus still lurks.
It’s an arduous journey from self-isolation, lockdown etiquette to post-curfew lifestyles where a majority of the population is exercising self-denial.
Staying on COVID high-alert is simply not humanly possible, there are gaps in our defence lines as we struggle to keep socially distanced at the beach, bars and cafes.
Due to the low number of daily cases and lower mortality rate, Cyprus is one of the safest places to be if you are going to live something close to a normal existence.
As the lockdown era comes to an end, it’s difficult to imagine that other countries are still struggling to get a handle on the pandemic as cases are rising across the globe.
Cypriots wear complacency like a favourite pair of flip-flops on another hot day in paradise, so clearly, the virus has become somebody else’s burden.
While we are still in survival mode, the economic aftershock of the outbreak has yet to shake the foundations of our daily life, but a jolt is coming to swallow jobs and wreck households.
Getting away from it all is also not an option because COVID-19 travel lockdown makes it impossible to book a holiday anywhere with the same carefree abandon as in the past.
There are countries who have got the science right with good effect, maintaining a low-risk status but coronavirus has not been eradicated.
It’s also hard to fathom which countries will allow Cypriots entry, that’s if you can afford/book the flight and hotel.
Cyprus may be holding the high ground of coronavirus smugness, having successfully contained the disease but the outlook could easily change.
A lack of responsible behaviour, a drop in hygiene standards, ignoring social distancing could bring the beast back to ruin our good name.
If our COVID-19 indicators start to shoot up quicker than poison ivy, then nobody in Europe is going to open their doors to Cypriots, not even the Greeks.
More flights and extra options are expected later in July, but how safe would you feel to travel abroad, flying wasn’t a seamless experience at the best of times.
With an array of health protocols to navigate, another layer of discomfort tinged with annoyance has been added to the flight itinerary.
Even if you weren’t planning to go on holiday, knowing that you can’t go anywhere or plan a trip in the future, feels a lot like lockdown part II.
Essentially, we are living in a coronavirus bubble, free to walk around inside it, although unable to leave.
An invisible iron curtain keeping us prisoner from the outside world, another line of separation in a land divided.
Cyprus is possibly a victim of its own success because venturing beyond these borders will not seem as safe, although Malta is also among the few countries that have under 1000 cases.
Take Israel for example, it was supposed to resurrect Cyprus tourism.
Israelis were the first arrive at Larnaca when Cyprus lifted its ban on commercial flights this week.
In a blink of an eye, the scientific number crunchers at the Health Ministry demoted Israel from the low-risk category placing it alongside Poland and Romania.
Shunted outside the top category requires Israelis to take a compulsory COVID-19 test before coming to Cyprus – an added cost for the average family.
Adding price and inconvenience to a holiday destination is not a winning formula in anyone’s language.
How long Israel – the island’s third-largest source for tourists – will stay on the naughty bench is unknown much to the chagrin of local stakeholders.
Cyprus could easily fall into the same trap by throwing away its achievements because it thought the COVID war was won.
This is not an unwinnable war like Vietnam but if we get trapped in the jungle of complacency we will get picked off by the invisible enemy’s sniper fire.
#Stay safe
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