Therese Sta. MariaIn the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Greece has fared better than most. It was only a matter of time before the Greek Ministry of Tourism announced the country’s reopened borders. On 29 May, the Hellenic nation finally shared that their borders will reopen to 29 countries starting 15 June 2020.
Even more good news, these travellers are allowed to enter Greece for non-essential reasons, which means summer vacations in this cool and sun-soaked country are on the table for particular nationalities!
Greece has reopened its borders to the following 29 countries:
Asia:
- Japan
- South Korea
- China
Europe:
- Austria
- Albania
- Northern Macedonia
- Bulgaria
- Germany
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Estonia
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Montenegro
- Hungary
- Romania
- Norway
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Finland
Middle East:
- Israel
- Lebanon
Oceania:
- New Zealand
- Australia
International flights of the said countries may land at the airports of Athens and Thessaloniki. The passengers from these flights don’t need to undergo quarantine nor mandatory testing. However, random testing will be considered. According to the Greek Ministry of Tourism, the list of 29 will be expanded on 1 July 2020, and other welcomed countries will likewise be announced. Travellers from these nations may enter whether by land, air, or sea beginning on 1 July 2020 as well.
Also read: Top 5 Things to Do in Thessaloniki, Greece
What’s the basis for the list of welcomed countries?
In a notice, the Ministry stated that the list was produced after profiling the said nations among other factors. “The list of 29 countries was formed after a study of the epidemiological profile of the tourists’ countries of origin, and after taking into account yesterday’s announcements of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), as well as the relevant recommendation of the Infectious Diseases Committee”.
In a joint statement with Deputy Minister Manos Konsolas, the Ministry further elaborated that they’re basing Greece’s tourism reset on four pillars:
- The careful selection of the tourists’ countries of origin and their health criteria.
- The sampling tests that will allow the experts to continuously assess the situation.
- The announced health protocols that ensure the reduction of the spread of the disease.
- The health shielding of each destination so that neither the permanent residents nor the visitors are exposed to danger.
Greece itself has been one of Europe’s most successful countries in combating the coronavirus. As of writing, the Hellenic Republic has 3,148 cases with 1,374 recoveries and only 185 deaths. To keep their nation’s numbers low, they will continue monitoring the epidemiological situation in Greece and that of the countries they’re reopening their borders to.
Travellers who aren’t part of the list may not travel to Greece for leisure. Those travelling for business or work will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing and quarantined for 14 days if they test positive. Travellers who test negative still need to self-quarantine for seven days.
Tourism developments like this are definitely music to our ears. Let’s all send our applause to Greece for having kept their coronavirus cases to a minimum and doing their best in keeping their tourism afloat. Is your country one of the lucky ones included on the list?
News mainly sourced from Schengen visa info news | Official Website
