Greece to open for British summer visitors
Travellers who fly from ‘low-risk’ UK airports such as London Southend will be able to avoid quarantine
BRITONS will be able to travel to Greece “without quarantine” from certain UK airports, its tourism minister confirmed yesterday amid a Europewide scramble to salvage the crucial summer holiday season.
Last week, Greece appeared to slap a nationwide ban on flights from Britain, which sends 4 million tourists a year to the popular holiday destination, after leaving the UK off its “white list” of 29 nations with better than average Covid-19 infection records.
But yesterday, it said this had been a “misunderstanding” and British holidaymakers will be allowed to visit as early as mid-june. However, screening will be more or less strict depending on which airport they fly from.
Greece has pledged to “welcome the world” from June 15, when it will resume flights to its two main airports, Athens and Thessaloniki. Others will be reopened to international flights from July 1. During this “bridge phase”, it will accept travellers from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, but they will be subject to systematic testing and possible quarantine. The EASA “blacklist” currently contains 13 British airports, including Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester.
“Tourists originating from airports listed on EASA are obliged to be tested once they land in Greece, and remain at a designated hotel for one day,” said Harry Theoharis, the tourism minister. “If the test turns out negative, these visitors will then be obliged to observe a seven-day quarantine. If their sample is positive, they will remain in a 14-day quarantine, and their health will be monitored.”
But passengers flying to Greece from UK airports not on the EASA blacklist will only be subject to random testing, and will not have to undergo any form of quarantine, unless they test positive for the virus, he confirmed.
“There are already UK airports from which, after June 15, visitors may come to Greece without going through quarantine,” Mr Theoharis said.
UK airports in the clear include London Southend, Bristol and Edinburgh. He said the EASA list would be renewed weekly in the run-up to flights resuming on June 15. He added. “I would consider it a positive step if at some point, the UK lifted the restrictions on visitors returning from Greece to the UK.”
As tourism accounts for a quarter of its GDP, Greece is desperate to reopen after successfully containing the pandemic with early draconian restrictions. Yesterday, it authorised year-round hotels to reopen, although many chose not to, citing low bookings. Primary schools were reopened, as were public swimming pools, campsites, wedding reception services, tattoo parlours and dating agencies.
Elsewhere in Europe, France’s bars, cafés and restaurants are due to reopen today after three months of closure. Customers must remain a metre apart and no more than 10 per table. However, venues in Paris can only serve in outside terraces until June 22.
In Italy, the Vatican Museums housing the Sistine Chapel reopened to the public yesterday, as did the Colosseum. Tomorrow, Italians will be allowed to freely move about the country, and European visitors will be welcomed without quarantine requirements.
Spain plans to welcome foreign visitors from July 1.
In Portugal, beaches in the Algarve will reopen on June 6, colour-coded by capacity on an app.
Quickest off the mark was Montenegro, Europe’s first country to declare itself “coronavirus-free,” which started letting in foreign tourists yesterday.