The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Giannis Karousos, described the agreement reached yesterday between Cyprus and Israel on Vaccination Passports as very important.
It is recalled that after a private meeting he had yesterday in Israel with the Prime Minister of the country Benjamin Netanyahu, the President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiadis stated that an agreement was reached between the competent authorities of the two countries, on the basis of which from April 1, 2021, Israelis Citizens who have been vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency will not need to undergo a PCR test to travel to Cyprus or be self-restricted upon arrival.
In statements to KYPE, the Minister of Transport described "the agreement for the recognition of vaccinations by Israel and travelers to Cyprus after April 1 as very important, an agreement that will greatly contribute to the connectivity between Cyprus and Israel, but also to increase of the tourist flow to our island. "Several airlines are already investing in the good epidemiological image of Israel but also in the agreement reached yesterday in the country during the visit of the President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiadis".
He added that there are already many airlines planning an increased number of flights between Israel and Cyprus. "These companies are from both countries, ie companies that operate flights from Cyprus to Israel but also companies from Israel that operate flights to our island," he said.
According to Mr. Karousos, "this is a first step in restoring the connectivity between the two countries, it is very important and will be combined with other aviation support measures such as the temporary Incentive Plan that we have. It should be noted that if and when the Ministry of Health deems it necessary, we reserve the right to perform sampling checks on these individuals ".
He also noted that "this is a step in the right direction and so we send a message to the aviation sector, that is, we have planning and scheduling. This event will make the greatest contribution to the restoration of Cyprus' air connectivity, especially with Israel ".
Answering a relevant question, the Minister of Transport said that "Israel is one of the most important markets for Cyprus and we anticipate increased air traffic between the two countries precisely because of this agreement."
Asked whether the specific agreement between Cyprus and Israel can be reached with other countries of the European Union, Giannis Karousos said that "at the moment the agreement is with Israel, while we will see the issue with other countries when it is ready. "Israel was ready and is even giving everyone who has been vaccinated a digital certificate with which one can confirm the details of the vaccination."
He explained that "this certificate can be had on one's mobile phone and anyone can confirm its authenticity". "If and when necessary, we will contact other countries" in order to promote this issue, he concluded.