The Health Ministry in the South has announced no new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day, which is encouraging in terms of hopes for border opening July 1, although not as reassuring as the North’s eight weeks. The Canadian honorary consulate would make an effort, they say, to assist Canadians needing to cross the border to take specific flights in advance of the official border opening. Well, actually they say “we will do our best to assist you secure a permission to cross” to what they can’t resist referring to “the free part of the Republic of Cyprus”, a reminder that honorary consular staff is local. This assistance, in the absence of an open border, is dependent on prior acquisition of airline tickets. However, it seems clear that should their best prove not quite good enough, the tickets would be a write off. Not so bad if they were one way tickets to London or Athens, say, but tickets out of Larnaca would have to be co-ordinated with tickets from a European centre to Canada, a much greater potential loss. So best to wait for a genuinely open border.
Tourism is not the only sector in economic difficulty in the South. The wine industry is also suffering. Lack of tourists and closing of restaurants, hotels, and tavernas has been a disaster, compounded somewhat by limited export possibilities and tighter family budgets.
Tourism is not the only sector in economic difficulty in the South. The wine industry is also suffering. Lack of tourists and closing of restaurants, hotels, and tavernas has been a disaster, compounded somewhat by limited export possibilities and tighter family budgets.