Lithuanians who have not had a holiday abroad this year are in a hurry for Cyprus: they pointed out a detail, without which they will not get on a plane

When it seemed there was nowhere left to fly due to self-isolation requirements, the beautiful island of Cyprus, where an extremely low number of Covid-19 infections had recently been recorded, suddenly raised its hand. Come to us, it is still a real hot summer – Cypriots advertise and promise big discounts due to the difficult situation all over the world.

Discounts are well known, but without them Cyprus would get a lot of attention. If the world does not continue to improve due to the coronavirus, it may be the last chance to take a vacation in hot countries this year. Currently, the temperature on the island during the day rises to 32-35 degrees, at night it does not fall below 22-23 degrees. Hotter than in July with us.

The temptations of Cyprus might not be a motive for us at all if they were not specifically directed at the people of our region. Lithuania is on the list of countries for which there are no requirements when you come to Cyprus; If you feel fine, you have not had contact with the sick, you do not need the results of a coronavirus test or two weeks of self-isolation. Furthermore, after returning from Cyprus, at least for the moment, citizens of our country will not be obliged to self-quarantine. Hearing this, dozens, and maybe even hundreds, of vacation-hungry people rushed to organize their last-minute vacations on their own. Yesterday, on the night from Saturday to Sunday, the airBaltic Riga-Larnaca flight was crowded. All tickets were purchased, both business and economy class. In addition to many Lithuanians and Latvians, there were several Russians, several Cypriots and Poles on the plane.

I haven’t seen so many happy travelers in a long time. Neither flights to the UK nor Norway will seem like flights to resorts in Turkey, Greece, Spain or the islands of Malta and Cyprus for many years to come. Cheerful faces of vacationers, combinations of party clothes collected for a long time and already the brightness and shape of the headdress. Just full of carelessness and fun. I didn’t see it this summer, although I had to fly a lot. But here in the end, there was something similar now. People are tired of the coronavirus clutter, uncertainty and stress. Therefore, after the opportunity to leave, he seemed extremely happy.

Only the faces of some darkened when, while trying to board the plane, they heard from airport officials the requirement to present a Cypriot flight passport and, sadly, they were unable to do so. The legs and arms of the people went numb, as if in a second the great dream of going to the warm sea had collapsed. There were at least six of them. They did not know that it was now mandatory to fill out the Cyprus Flight Pass form online and get an entry confirmation when traveling to the island of Cyprus. That questionnaire is not complicated, you have to enter your personal details, answer a few questions about yourself, provide your contact information, and mark someone else close to you who can be contacted in case of problems. The most important part of the questions is about the coronavirus, where you will have to answer if you have no symptoms, if you have interacted with infected people or have been in countries at risk, etc.

Filling, if you do it carefully and make no mistakes, takes 10-15 minutes. And confirmation by email. the mail arrives at the same time you get everything right. This is what should be shown to people at the airport who get on the plane. After that, the Cypriot border control guard will reapply for the same certified travel passport. To see what panic there was when those couples completed questionnaires, how their phones crashed. Well, as a result, they all managed to fly.

On the Cyprus Flight Pass form, the system will indicate the category of country you come from. Lithuania is currently classified in Category A, which means that there will be no special inspections or other procedures. You can queue at passport control and then you will arrive on the island as usual. Arrivals from other categories of countries marked with letters: stay last on the plane, come to be greeted by employees conducting Covid-19 tests, or organize self-isolation procedures. There were few such people on the trip from Riga, mainly passengers from Russia.

Larnaca International Airport now looks different from last year or the year before. The arrivals of planes and buses with drivers do not wait for the arriving planes. Planes from Frankfurt, Copenhagen and Riga landed simultaneously yesterday, not by organized tour groups, which often came to this island, but by independent travelers.

Soon there were long lines at the car rental kiosks. Here the first awaits you, a nice discount for newcomers. Renting a car for a week in Cyprus is currently possible for 70-80 euros easier, 90-120 euros better. A man who worked for the company’s Budget box noted that it was much cheaper than in previous seasons.

The situation is similar with hotels. After living through the dreary season this summer, entrepreneurs are at least now trying to attract guests, so they offer better prices when some add free breakfast or other services like a spa. The situation is even more favorable with private owners, some of whom apply discounts of up to 50 percent. To offer their villa or apartment, Cypriots even come to the airport and advertise what they have, keeping tables. Like our grandmothers in Palanga.