By Chris Elliott,
Over the past two weeks, we have been receiving many pleas for help from readers who are either stuck in the TRNC or wanting to come back to TRNC from the UK and other countries.
Today we received great news from the group of tourists who had first been quarantined and after being given a clean bill of health by the TRNC authorities they were then placed under curfew in another hotel until return flights could be arranged to the UK..
Readers mail….
From Grant Gibson,
“Hello Chris,
Well things have certainly moved rapidly since our last exchange.
We managed to get the personal email address of the Easy jet CEO (don’t ask how!), and fed to him all the media exchanges (press commission/MP’s/BBC/you guys/etc).
Within an hour we had a response, and what a response!
They, Easyjet, are putting on 2 Repatriation Flights from Paphos on Sunday 29th, and they have booked all of our group onto the first departing one.
We are ecstatic!
Many thanks Chris to you and CyprusScene, we really felt that we had genuine local interest and support in our plight.
Our other stalwart through all this has been Samantha Blair of Cyprus Paradise, our travel company, she has been there for us day and night during these last weeks of incarceration.
A big thank you from the Quarantined British 16!
Kind regards
Grant”
This is great news and further news of these departing flights was published by Peter Wilkins the Chairman of the British Residents’ Society for those wishing to book an outbound flight from Paphos to Gatwick this Sunday 29th March :
This has just been released from Cyprus Paradise.
To ANY BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDER currently in CYPRUS and wanting to return to UK. After MUCH work and with great thanks to Robert Carey CEO EASYJET they have organised 2 rescue flights from PAPHOS TO GATWICK on SUNDAY 29TH MARCH. EZY 9740 @ 14:35 & EZY 9742 @ 19:25. You need to email Customer.Service@easyJet.com immediately for availability and price. Priority will be given to tourists. WHEN YOU HAVE BOOKED YOUR FLIGHT You will then need to provide the following details to me by 5pm TODAY samantha@cypruspremier.com
Passport number
PNR
FULL name
Flight number
Contact details
I will then add you to the list for the BHC & TRNC gov to ensure authorisation to pass at Pile border. We will then organise for you to join CYPRUS PARADISE transfers to border .. walk over and transfer Greek side to PFO.”
******
What splendid news which is as a result of lobbying and support by local groups and others and we at CyprusScene are proud to have played our part in helping these tourists and others who are trying to get back to the UK.
At this present time it is not possible for non-citizens from the UK to enter the TRNC because of the strict Coronavirus controls and we urge these people and those who do not manage to book flights this Sunday to register their details with Catherine Hayes of the Facebook page ” TRNC Residents trying to get home” and these details will be made available to the appropriate authorities when ex-pat are allowed to enter the TRNC again.
So what a week it has been with a happy ending in sight for some and for those who would like to read news from our FREE online e-newspaper you can choose to read or download issues including issue 120 which will be published this evening Friday 27th March by clicking here.
When they cross the Green Line, how do they avoid the mandatory 14 day quarantine in ROC which is imposed on all who cross North to South?
The details are there in the article as specified in the Cyprus Paradise posting
Shame they haven’t given myself and thousands of others our refunds for cancelled flights, but Stelios is happy to take £60m from the government! Greed is so ugly!!
Just had my holiday cancelled by easyjet paid £276 for flights received notification of refund od 45.48