Cyprus to cover costs for infected tourists

Cyprus is pledging to cover costs for anyone testing positive for the coronavirus while vacationing in the east Mediterranean island nation. The Cypriot government says it will cover lodging, food, drink, and medication for COVID-19 patients and their families. Patients will only have to pay for the taxi ride to the airport and the flight back home.

A 100-bed hospital will cater exclusively to foreign travelers who test positive. Some 112 intensive care units equipped with 200 respirators will be reserved for critically ill patients. A 500-room "quarantine-hotel" will host exclusively patients' family members and other close contacts.

The pledge came in a five-page letter sent to governments, airlines, and tour operators outlining strict health and hygiene protocols that Cyprus is enacting to woo visitors to the tourism-reliant country. Tourism directly accounts for 13 percent of Cyprus' economy. The country expects to lose as much as 70 percent of 2.6 billion euros in tourism-generated revenue this year.

The letter, signed by Cyprus' foreign affairs, transport, and tourism ministers, boasts that the country has one of the lowest coronavirus ratios per capita in Europe after having tested more than 10 percent of its population. International air travel to Cyprus begins June 9 initially from 19 countries, with passengers required to undergo a COVID-19 test three days prior to departure. That measure will be lifted June 20 for 13 countries, including Germany, Finland, Israel, Greece, and Norway.