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This morning, May 11, the Minister of Tourism Mr. Haris Theocharis was hosted on the morning news show of Sky News There he spoke about the measures taken in Greece for the safety of tourists this summer. He also expressed the hope that Greece will be on the UK green list for the next revision of the list.
Following is the interview of the Minister of Tourism Mr. Harry Theocharis on the British television network Sky News:
– Trust, Mr. Minister, must be very important to travel to Greece. What measures do you take to ensure that people feel safe if they want to travel to your country?
Harris Theocharis: “You are absolutely right. Tourism is an international activity based on trust, which is why it is also very important to work together at European level or even beyond. We are very happy that this cooperation is imminent. Greece led the proposal, but also the actual implementation of the system. We are the first country to implement the digital passenger tracking form (PLF) and AI machine learning at the border last year. We were awarded the Global Award of Excellence for the type of systems we implemented last year. This year we have even more tools at our disposal.
The vaccination program is being promoted quickly and we have had very good cooperation with Estonia. Estonia and its President responded immediately. They participated in our proposals and implemented the digital platform for cooperation between European countries. All of these are very important. We have quarantine hotels. People will of course be checked often, there is vaccination and pre-trip conditions. All this means that we have a very comprehensive. A mature and professional plan to ensure the safety of our citizens and of course anyone who comes to Greece. This is very important to us. This is the recipe, if you will, for our success so far in tackling the pandemic. “
In relation to the “traffic light system” implemented by Great Britain, Greece is on the “orange list” at the moment. Do you think this will prevent some people from visiting Greece for the time being? Do you think that the government here will be willing to review the green list and include Greece in it?
Harris Theocharis: “It has been announced that there will be frequent reviews at least every three weeks. I am here in London to talk to government officials to ensure that both sides understand how our systems work and that the British remain safe in the country. Of course, that they understand the criteria and have all the necessary data to make conscious decisions.
At the same time, we would welcome a regional approach because already, I am sure that, according to any criteria, all the Greek islands should have been included in the green list in the traffic light system.
So, as I said, we will try to explain everything. I am absolutely sure that, once we have reached the highest point, we are on a downward trend towards the third wave. Like the rest of Europe, and that there will be no problem with its next revision of the United Kingdom traffic light system ‘.
Source SKYnews UK
Source IMERA
