COVID19: Cyprus could lose UK safe travel status

A sharp rise in COVID cases could see Cyprus taken off the UK’s safe list after daily infections have hit their highest point since the lockdown ended.

Unlike many EU destinations, Cyprus has remained on the UK’s travel corridor list (no need to quarantine) due to its low coronavirus infection rate but that is changing fast.

Cyprus recorded its second-highest weekly case total since the outbreak while Monday’s 41 cases are the highest since April 1 when the pandemic peaked at 58 cases.

Since the UK was placed on Cyprus’ safe list – albeit in the second tier where a negative COVID test is required for entry – British tourists have started to return.

The country is on the UK’s travel corridor list and exempt from Foreign Office advice against all non-essential international travel.

Not so long-ago Cyprus was one of the few countries that had under 1000 cases but in recent weeks that figure has shot up to 2047 and 25 deaths.

But recently, the infection case rate has spiked with no sign it is being contained.

CEO of travel consultancy, The PC Agency Paul Charles has been posting updates on Twitter regarding countries’ latest coronavirus rates.

“#Cyprus goes red – it was green seven days ago.”

Countries at risk of being removed from the travel corridor list are those with more than 20 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period. Greece has a rate of 23.4 cases per 100,000

Cyprus’ infection rate increased to 20 per 100,000 people over a seven-day period, according to The PC Agency and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Last week, no countries were removed from the UK’s travel corridor list, several Greek islands were reinstated.