Cyprus coronavirus cases start to climb – and Brits have the most positive tests on arrival
CYPRUS has seen a rise in coronavirus infections - and British tourists are bringing in the most to the nation.
The Mediterranean island reported 23 new cases yesterday with 10 of them from incoming tourists.
The majority of those 10 were British tourists, who are still subject to random checks at the airport, according to the .
While 23 may not seem like many compared to other holiday destinations, with 1,847 cases in Cyprus since the crisis started, the island reduced infections to just one new case per day at the beginning of September.
However, new cases have been steadily climbing, reaching 36 new daily infections on September 23, a high last seen in April.
Brits are able to visit Cyprus without having to quarantine back in the UK, making it one of the few remaining European destinations on the travel corridor list.
However, holidaymakers must have a negative coronavirus test taken no more than 72 hours before entering the country.
This has caused problems for some families, as the tests cannot be done on the NHS and must be done privately - costing upwards of £150 and also facing delays due to an increase in demand.
This is likely to stop UK holidaymakers visiting during the winter season despite it seeing high temperatures.
Johanna Bonhill-Smith, a travel and tourism analyst with GlobalData, told local media: "While this is now a requirement for many international destinations, this figures among the various additional measures that will likely continue to deter UK travellers in booking this year, particularly given the much-publicised difficulties of getting a test in the UK."
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A mum and her daughter were stopped from boarding their flight to Cyprus after getting an inconclusive coronavirus test.
After finally managing to get herself and her daughter a test, it came back inconclusive - and her flight pass to Cyprus was rejected.
This left her no time to get another test, meaning she was not able to board her flight.