This week, Greece reopened international tourism sans quarantine restrictions for travelers from the European Union and five other countries, including the United States. To avoid the quarantine upon arrival, all visitors must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or show a negative PCR test carried out 72 hours prior to their arrival, according to a report from Reuters.
Beyond the E.U. (including non-E.U. members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are part of a European travel pact) and U.S., travelers from the United Kingdom, Serbia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will be able to visit Greece via airports in Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Chania, Rhodes, Kos, Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu, along with two border crossings. For all other travelers to Greece, they must acquire a negative test and quarantine for seven days.
Note: Tourists are still subject to local domestic lockdown restrictions.
In March, Greece’s tourism minister, Harry Theocharis, said the country would be reopening May 14. He said at the time, to prepare for the reopening, Greek authorities would prioritize the vaccination of those in the hospitality sector once the most vulnerable populations were vaccinated. Frequent testing of employees will also be mandated.
According to The New York Times, 17 percent of the total population in Greece has received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 7.2 percent are fully vaccinated. The Times also lists Greece among the countries where “new cases are higher and staying high.” The country has had 2,789 daily new cases on average over the last seven days (equal to 26 people per 100,000). The U.S., for comparison has 19 daily new cases on average per 100,000 people.
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