We are happy to share the news regarding the travel rules and health protocols announced by the Greek Government (Minister of Tourism) this Friday afternoon, May 8, 2020. Note that most international and reputable media advertise Greece as the right destination for this summer.
Some key points of the health protocols for hotels and international flights to Greece state:
- In order for a passenger to board on a flight to Greece, she/he must, within 72 hours before the flight, receive a health certificate that she/he is not a corona virus carrier. Without it, there will be no boarding.
- Accordingly, all Greek tourists, given transnational and bilateral agreements, who wish to travel abroad will be checked 72 hours before their trip.
- It is recommended that in flights up to about 4 hours not to serve food to passengers, but only packaged snacks.
- In every tourist area of Greece, the Ministry of Tourism will lease a tourist accommodation (hotel) that will serve as a “quarantine hotel”, where tourists found to be carriers of the corona virus will be transported.
- Each hotel an any tourist accommodation will contract a specialist doctor, who, as needed, will examine any individual suspected to have corona virus symptoms and to administer the test. Results will be produced within 6 hours and if tested positive the individual will be transferred to the corresponding “quarantine hotels”.
See also: Roadmap for lock-down lifting in Greece
With its timely and well-measured response to Covid-19 pandemic, Greece has performed outstandingly well. As of June 4, 2020, Greece reports 3,049 cases and 182 deaths (from a population of about 10.4 million).
In the news:
- Greece Has ‘Defied the Odds’ in the Pandemic (New York Times, April 2020)
- To manage the Covid-19 crisis, look to Greece (The Guardian, April 2020)
- Why is Greece an outlier in EU’s Covid-19 response? (EU Observer, May 2020)