Cyprus will reopen its airports on June 9

Cyprus will reopen its airports on June 9 as it gradually lifts restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Cyprus Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios announced on Wednesday.

“We expect a full containment of the virus by the end of this week which means that on June 9 we will open our airports again for business as usual and that’s very very important,” Perdios said during an online Economist conference on tourism.

Hotels are expected to reopen their doors to local tourists on June 1.

The final decision on the dates for the airports and hotels is expected to be announced on Friday, following the president’s meeting with the cabinet and in accordance with the epidemiological data.

Cyprus took measures early to prevent the spread of coronavirus, shutting its borders to all except Cypriots, European workers and those with special permits, then extended the shutdown to all air links. These were followed by a stay-at-home order that only allowed once-daily outings for limited reasons, including essential shopping and visiting doctors, and a night-time curfew.

At the time of writing, Cyprus has reported 922 covid-19 infections and 17 deaths.