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Coronavirus: Transport minister calls on people of Famagusta to get vaccinated

Karousos
Acting Labour Minister Yiannis Karousos

Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos on Monday appealed to the people of Famagusta to get vaccinated so tourists can be welcomed back to the island.

Karousos, who was the mayor of Ayia Napa before becoming minister, said he is surprised to see that Famagusta district has the lowest vaccination rate in the whole of Cyprus.

“Particularly as far as the UK market is concerned, in order to get on their green list, the vaccination rate is of great importance,” he said.

Cyprus is currently in the ‘amber’ category, which sees travellers incur a ten-day self-isolation upon return to Britain and having to undergo two PCR tests.

“The earlier the vaccination rate is increased, the faster we can open up to tourists from the UK. The Famagusta district’s vaccination rate is crucial in this aspect,” Karousos, speaking to Alphalive, added.

Referring to the launch of the European Covid certificate on July 1, he expressed optimism that Cyprus will be all set since it is already implementing most of its aspects through the Cyprus Flight Pass.

“The difference is that it will be a single database through which the authenticity of the vaccination certificate can be verified and the data can be cross-checked by scanning QR codes at the airport,” he said.

Asked whether the Cyprus Flight Pass will continue to be used after the European certificate is implemented, he said it might, since citizens of non-EU countries will also come to Cyprus.

However, he said the issue will be discussed at a later stage.

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