Greek Minister: No worry about reopening to tourism

Screening travelers for Covid-19 is not recommended, said the Health Ministry's coronavirus spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras on Thursday evening, "as it can give rise to a false sense of certainty," ANA reports.

The infectious diseases professor was responding to a question by Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) on the likelihood that tourism may cause another mass dispersal of the virus, and the effectiveness of diagnostic tests on travelers; on the latter, he pointed out it is "at any country's discretion to test travelers if they so wish, for epidemiological or any other reason." 

The professor also announced another 3 new coronavirus cases and 2 new deaths were officially recorded in Greece in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry's coronavirus spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras reported on Tuesday evening, bringing the total of infections since the start of the outbreak in the country to 2,853. 

No cause for worry about reopening to tourism

The plan to allow direct flights from abroad as of July 1 should not be cause for public concern, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias announced on Thursday, as the plan is to reopen Greece to tourism gradually and cautiously after the global pandemic breakout.

At a briefing on coronavirus measures and developments along with Health Ministry task force spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras, Hardalias said several factors would be considered, including what was happening in other countries and which countries would be exempted based on their epidemiological features. 

"Random sampling and controls will be thorough and strict wherever necessary, in order to keep the general population safe," he noted.

Currently, flights are limited to the Athens International Airport, where travelers submit to coronavirus tests and have to follow quarantine protocols. "Absolute numbers (of incoming flights) show a reduction and near-disappearance of incoming infection cases," Hardalias said.

Between May 13 and 20, for example, 21 flights arrived in Athens with 2,236 passengers, of whom only 1 was found to be positive. In the last 4 days, 3 flights from Germany have arrived with 548 passengers, several as transit travelers through countries with heavy epidemiological loads, but all tests were negative.

He reiterated the reopening of travel to and from the Greek islands and the opening of restaurants is taking place on Monday, May 25. 

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

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