Press Releases

The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, taking into account the opinion of the Scientific Team of the Ministry of Health and in order to remove any uncertainty or conjecture, expressed in good faith, wishes to state that the program of gradual and controlled repatriation, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be implemented as follows:

a) Following instructions, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, in consultation with the hoteliers' leadership, has secured, in addition to those already available, 1,000 more rooms, so that the total number of people eligible for mandatory supervision (quarantine) for 14 days is approximately 2,000.

b) According to the criteria that have been decided and the tables prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, taking into account where possible the declared desire of the interested parties in the relevant platform, the repatriation will take place as follows:

• Persons (students and non-students) belonging to vulnerable groups on the basis of relevant decisions of the medical council,
• Students living in university dormitories who are enrolled during the current academic year:

i) in foundation courses that will allow them to enroll in the first year of undergraduate studies,

ii) in the first year of undergraduate studies,

• Other beneficiaries (Cypriot citizens, students and non-students, permanent residents of the Republic of Cyprus and persons entitled to enter the Republic under the Vienna Convention), according to the repatriation period for which they expressed interest in the relevant platform of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

c) Those repatriated, upon arrival, will undergo a molecular examination and will then be taken to hotels where they will be required to be confined for 14 days.

The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works undertook the responsibility of carrying out the repatriation operation through chartered flights.

It is understood that the cost of repatriation of citizens will be borne by themselves, except in cases where the flight will be provided free of charge by airlines or other agencies and in cases of persons that the Republic has sent abroad for medical purposes.

The cost of compulsory stay under surveillance (quarantine) and of COVID-19 testing will be borne by the state.

The Ministry of Defense took over the responsibility for surveillance in quarantine areas.