NICOSIA — Visitors arriving on Cyprus from the United Kingdom, hit by a mutation of COVID-19, will be confined to hotels for up to a two-week quarantine period, the cost picked up by the state, the Health Ministry said.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, air passengers landing at Larnaca and Paphos international airports after 6 a.m. on Dec. 21 were being asked to remain in self isolation for 14 days, or 10 days if a PCR test comes back negative after one week.

That came after other local media reported clarifications from the ministry that indicated the quarantine would be only seven days although a 14-day period is generally recommended to keep track of whether someone is infected.

It’s now said that travelers from UK airports will be administered a test for the Coronavirus upon landing at the airports on Cyprus and required to stay at a hotel under self-isolation for seven days, no report how that would be enforced.

Minors may choose to remain in self-isolation at home but they can also self-isolate in a hotel if they are traveling with a parent or guardian, the report added.

That came two days after, apparently satisfied it's safe despite no end in sight yet to the COVID-19 pandemic, that Cyprus would gradually ease a travel ban on visitors from 56 more countries, most in the European Union.

Also on the safe list, The Jerusalem Post said, are Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the government announced in a statement on the updated protocols.

The new protocols begin Jan. 15, 2021 as part of the transitional period, and by March 15, all 56 countries in category grey will be moved to either green, orange or red following evaluations ranking relative risks.