Cyprus to pay holiday costs of infected tourists

Cyprus has made a pledge to cover the holiday costs of anyone who test positive for the virus after travelling there. 

A letter made public on Wednesday stated that the government said it would pay for accommodation, medicine and food for patients and their families. With tourists only needing to cover 'the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight.'

This is part of a package of measures aimed at drawing visitors back to the island, which has reported few cases. 

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the country has confirmed 939 infections and 17 deaths.

Plans in place ready.

Tourism has accounted for 15& of the country's GDP last year, and so the government is striving to bring back travellers as soon as possible. "The hit is massive, and we are trying to do our best now and do what we can for the remainder of the season," deputy tourism minister Savvas Perdios reportedly said. "We have worked extremely hard to keep the virus in check here." It has also been reported that officials announced a 100-bed hospital would be set aside specifically for tourists who test positive, as well as so-called 'quarantine hotels' for the patient's families. 

Cyprus airport set to reopen on 9th June. 

The plan is to open to a number of countries that are seen to be low risk, including Germany, Greece, Israel and Malta. Authorities will update the list weekly, with the plan to open to the UK in July, as combined with Russia, they account for more than half of all holiday-goers to Cyprus. 

You can find out more on the BBC article here.