With healthcare in focus, Cyprus reopens for visitors

Cyprus reopened its airports on Tuesday after almost three months of lockdown, hoping its record in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and a pledge of free medical treatment for any Covid-19 cases will lure tourists back to its beaches.

Heavily reliant on tourism, Cyprus announced a lockdown soon after its first cases on March 9. By Monday, it had recorded 970 cases and just 18 deaths, and its daily count of new infections was down to a handful.

Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos welcomed 22 arrivals from Israel at Larnaca Airport, saying Cyprus was in effect free of the virus.

"I miss Cyprus, Cyprus is a brother of Israel, it's very nice, very quiet," said Israeli visitor Joseph Amkri, 50.

Savvas Perdios, the deputy tourism minister, said: "Our target is to reach 30% of where we were last year."

The white sands of Ayia Napa's Nissi Beach are...