Greece welcomed tourists again at an early stage, now the Prime Minister is hoping for a good summer season - and holds out the prospect of further easing.
Athens - After the cool spring months and the first steps in opening up Germany, many are hoping for international vacation trips in the summer, some countries have already lifted the quarantine requirement after entry.
This also includes Greece, which even waived the quarantine regulation relatively early on.
At the start of the summer season, a vaccination offensive was supposed to secure the openings there.
Even so, the 7-day incidence on the peninsula is not yet too low: According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), it was 110.7 on May 27
and thus, for example, well above the German figures.
The Federal Foreign Office continues to issue a travel warning, and the Robert Koch Institute considers the state to be a risk area.
Summer holidays in Greece: these are the current rules
If you still want to go on a trip to Greece, you currently have to prove a survived infection with Covid-19 or a complete vaccination, as the ADAC travel portal explains - alternatively, a negative PCR test that is not older than 72 hours also applies.
A form must also be filled out in advance to enter the country.
In the country itself, there are also some restrictions: In addition to a curfew from 0.30 a.m. to 5.00 a.m., there is a strict mask requirement in closed rooms and public transport, for example.
The catering is currently only open in the outdoor area, a maximum of six people can sit at one table - and music is not allowed in the restaurants and bars, which have to close at midnight, for example.
Trip to Greece: Prime Minister promises further easing
Now the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is making
promising announcements
in an interview with
Bild
.
"We are a safe travel destination," says the 53-year-old - he is hoping for a much better travel season than last year.
A cornerstone of his hope is the digital vaccination certificate, which should be available in the EU from July - Greece is planning to start it as early as June.
“Hopefully we will be able to ease measures further as the situation improves.
And it will improve, I'm sure - when the tourists come there will be music ”.
However, he does not want to be pinned down on an exact time for the music permit: “We are still waiting for our experts to say when the right time is.
When music is playing, people talk louder to each other! "The Prime Minister also makes another promise:" I also assume that the curfew will be pushed back.
So it will be 90 percent a normal summer. "
Summer vacation in Greece should be "a great experience" - but some rules remain
But it doesn't work without restrictions: “Of course, access to our beaches is limited. We will be a little more cautious with the amusement than usual, "Mitsotakis points out -" but overall it will be a great experience. "For him, the vaccinations mark the way out of the crisis . According to the JHU, 18.46 percent of the Greek population are currently fully vaccinated, and a total of 33.34 percent have received at least one vaccination.
Despite his optimism about the vaccinations, Mitsotakis does not want to commit to another topic: He can
not promise that
the mask requirement indoors will be lifted, even when asked by
Bild
.
“It depends on what the experts tell us.
I assume that masks will definitely be necessary inside the building - you don't have to wear a mask outside when you eat in a restaurant. "
(Eu)
With a controversial statement about the 2020 travel season, Germany's Health Minister Spahn caused a sensation.
List of rubric lists: © Socrates Baltagiannis