Greek island to host German docs for free

ATHENS—THE Greek island of Kos will host dozens of German doctors for free from Monday, the tourism ministry said as the country prepared to reopen its regional airports to passenger flights.

The visiting 170 doctors will be hosted for free “in recognition and gratitude for their contribution in combating the coronavirus in Germany,” the Greek tourism ministry said.

Officials from German tour operator TUI will be among the passengers and will meet with Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis on the island, the ministry said.

The flight from Germany will land two

days before Greece is officially scheduled to open its regional airports to passenger traffic on July 1.

Greece has registered fewer than 200 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Safe vacation

With a quarter of the nation’s economy dependent on tourism, the government seeks to reassure potential visitors they can safely vacation in Greece as Europe begins to open back up to travel.

Nearly 80 hotels nationwide have been set aside to exclusively accommodate COVID-19 cases, state TV ERT said.

Hundreds of tests are to be conducted daily at regional and island airports around the country, according to the civil protection authority.

Passengers will have to fill out locator forms, including their address of stay, at least 48 hours before entering the country.

The European Union has yet to determine a list of “safe” countries allowed to visit Europe.

The proposed list so far includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.