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Is Cyprus the safest quarantine-free holiday destination for Brits? Last minute cheap breaks with TUI, Jet2 and easyJet

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AS fears grow for Portugal being the latest country to be put back onto the UK quarantine list, Brits are looking for the next safe holiday destination.

Cyprus remains one of the safest destinations, as coronavirus cases remain some of the lowest in Europe.

Cyprus is one of the few holiday hotspots left off the quarantine list
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Cyprus is one of the few holiday hotspots left off the quarantine listCredit: AFP or licensors

The islands, which quickly closed their borders at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, have kept total cases below 2,000 - less than the UK reported just yesterday.

Cases of coronavirus in Cyprus are just 1,514, compared to other popular holiday spots such as Spain (543,379), Portugal (61,541) and Greece (12,080). The UK is currently 355,219.

Countries with more than 20 new daily infections per 100,000 people, cumulatively over seven days, are at risk of quarantine rules from the UK government, and Cyprus remains well under at 2.4.

Destinations popular with Brits include the party resort of Ayia Napa, as well as Larnaca and Paphos, which have great package deals.

Here are some of the bargains you can take advantage of if you travel in the next few weeks:

  • Seven nights all-inclusive with return flights with TUI - 
  • Seven nights with return flights with easyJet -
  • Seven nights with return flights with Jet2 - (or )
  • Save £200 on Cyprus holidays in September and October with TUI -

 

The holiday destination has some of the lowest cases in Europe
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The holiday destination has some of the lowest cases in EuropeCredit: EPA

To enter Cyprus, all Brits aged 12 and over need to have a have proof of a negative coronavirus test, which cannot be done on the NHS.

Private tests can cost upwards of £200, and need to be taken less than 72 hours before travelling.

The UK Foreign Office also warns: "All travellers should be aware that if other passengers on your flight subsequently test positive on arrival to Cyprus, you may be subject to further quarantine/self-isolation measures."

While Cyprus is unlikely to go on the UK's quarantine list anytime soon, Brits should be aware that Cyprus could impose quarantine on people travelling from the UK.

Cyprus already requires people arriving from Malta and Spain to self-isolate for 14 days, after cases in both countries started to rise.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios said that the island still has another three months of tourism, where temperatures stay above 20C in November.

“We do not allow ourselves to consider that this year’s tourist season is over.”

An abandoned town in Cyprus, once popular with A-list celebs in the 1970s, may welcome tourists back for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The sandy paradise of Varosha, located in Northern Cyprus, hopes to reopen as a tourist resort after it was left to rot after a Turkish invasion in 1974, forcing 39,000 locals to leave.

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