Greece Lifts Quarantine Requirement for EU Countries and Some Third-Countries
Travellers from the European Union Member States are now eligible to enter Greece without being subject to quarantine rules, as the latters’ authorities have lifted quarantine restrictions for these countries in order to open up to tourism.
Besides the EU Member States, restriction-free entry will also be permitted for travellers from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Serbia, as well as Schengen associated non-EU countries, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
All persons from the territories mentioned above from today on no longer be obliged to undergo seven-day mandatory quarantine if they hold a vaccination passport known as Digital Green Certificate or present a negative result of the Coronavirus test, not older than 72 hours based on the announcement of the Greek Civil Aviation Authority.
Despite the Coronavirus outbreak, since last month, Greece’s authorities have continuously urged to reopen the tourism sector safely in order to revive the industry by the summer season and prevent more financial loss, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
In this regard, the government’s spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni stressed that the new rules are a “pilot measure” as the country reopens more of its economy, highlighting that tourists “are also subject to domestic travel restrictions.”
Greece continues to remain under partial lockdown since the authorities imposed tighter restrictions in November in a bid to halt the further spread of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier this month, Greece Tourism Minister, Haris Theoharis, presented a four-point action plan that safely revives the tourism sector. The scheme was introduced in his capacity as chairman of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Global Crisis Management Committee in order to save the tourism sector.
Throughout the committee, Minister Theocharis stressed that the country would open up to tourists on May 14, safely, “despite the danger.”
In March, Theoharis said that the country would open its doors for all persons who have taken the vaccine against Coronavirus or those who prove that they have tested negative for the deadly disease.
The third wave of COVID-19 has found businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and daily cruise boats in a critical situation, with many of them, forced to survive on state aid.
“Most of them feel the country cannot survive another crisis,” Rhodes’s deputy mayor for tourism, Konstantinos Taraslias, pointed out in this regard.
Greece is among the first European countries that supported and launched vaccine passports for persons who have taken two doses of any valid vaccine. Last April, an EU official warned that COVID-19 test results and later vaccine certificates would be two key requirements for all persons who plan to visit any Schengen Zone country.
