Yahoo News Travel restrictions: Greece bans British tourists in first phase of international travel
The Greek Tourism Ministry has announced that, as of June 15, people from 29 countries will be allowed to enter Greece on direct flights to Athens and to the northern city of Thessaloniki.
The list of those eligible to enter the country will be expanded on July 1, but as of yet does not include the UK.
The 29 countries currently include: Albania, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, and Switzerland.
This contradicts what tourism minister Harry Theocharis, speaking to Telegraph Travel earlier this month, had implied. He had said Greece would do “everything in its power” to ensure Britons were among the first international sun-seekers to return.
Visitors arriving into Greece could still be subject to sample coronavirus testing. Safety measures are also being put in place nationwide with capacity limits at hotels and resorts, and each hotel due to have a designated doctor.
Greece has so far had far fewer cases of coronavirus than the UK, with 2,906 confirmed cases and 175 deaths. The Greek islands, which rely heavily on tourism, have had no confirmed cases.
