British out in the cold as Greece places infection curb on tourists

BRITISH tourists could become pariahs in Europe, as Greece left the UK off a list of low Covid-19 countries from which holidaymakers can come to visit.

Britain is currently excluded from Greece’s current “white list” of 19 countries where its scientists judge the coronavirus infection rates to have fallen enough for tourists to be allowed into the Aegean holiday favourite.

Among those on the list are China, Japan, Australia, Norway, Poland and Serbia, but Britain, Italy, Spain and the United States are excluded.

Asked if Britain would be included on the “white list,” Haris Theoharis, the Greek tourism minister, said: “The UK has a big difference in terms of the current medical status of the country with Greece, so I don’t think it’s likely it will be there.” He indicated that Britain still needed to improve if Greece was to open up its border to British tourists. Greece restarted regular ferry services to its islands on Monday.

Foreign tourists are currently required to self-isolate for two weeks, but this is due to be relaxed by June 15 and direct flights to the Greek islands are expected to be allowed from July 1.

Official figures yesterday showed the coronavirus curve in the UK continued to flatten although experts suggested the rate of decline was slowing. The Office for National Statistics said 134 people died from disease, taking the country’s total death toll to 37,048.

Spain aims to end its requirement for 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals on July 1 but Arancha González Laya, the foreign minister, said: “We don’t want to decide individually what checks are done at the border; we prefer a common European mechanism.”

Germany, which lifted its quarantine for arrivals earlier this month, said it would not enter into a “tit-for-tat” reintroduction of the restrictions if Britain went ahead with its 14-day quarantine plans on June 8. But it warned it would reimpose it for countries or regions which had more than 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the seven days before a traveller’s arrival.

The UK currently has fewer than 25 infections per 100,000, according to Germany, which is expected to tell its citizens today that it is safe to travel in Europe again as it looks to reopen the continent to tourism from June 15.

France is introducing a two-week quarantine for British tourists in a titfor-tat move following the UK Government announcing its plans on Friday.

Italy said it would not introduce “titfor-tat” quarantine on Britons but wants all EU countries to collectively abandon restrictions on travel from June 15.