Thousands of Albanians working in Greece were stranded on Friday at the border between the two countries, trying to pass before the entry into force in two days of the obligation to present with a negative test for Covid-19, said the Albanian police.
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The queue of some 4,000 cars, over 20 kilometers, has formed at the Kakavia border post in southern Albania since the announcement earlier this week of new Greek measures.
From August 16, a maximum of 750 people per day will be allowed to enter Greece from Albania. They must have a negative Covid-19 test, carried out 72 hours before their arrival, and also go through isolation for seven days. These new rules were decreed by Greece after the recording of new contamination records in this country.
Some have already been waiting for three days at the border
Some have already been waiting for three days at the border, a regional police official told AFP, adding that " the Greek health teams (were working) with a reduced staff " and that the border post was closed at night. According to the rules still in force until August 16, Albanians entering Greece are tested for Covid-19 at the border, but can enter the country by leaving their contact details to be contacted in case they test positive.
Several thousand Albanians work in Greece, especially in the agricultural sector. They return during the summer to spend the holidays in their country. Police broadcast footage of police distributing water bottles to people in the blazing heat. The Albanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Greek authorities had undertaken to speed up the current procedure at the border, from 200 to 300 tests per hour.
The situation related to Covid-19 has also deteriorated in Albania in recent days, with a record number of 154 infections on Thursday in one day. Nearly 220 people have died from Covid-19 there since the start of the epidemic. Doctors warn of a second wave of the epidemic, while the authorities deplore the non-compliance by the population with safety instructions.