Zakynthos Informer Zakynthos Informer
Related Articles
The UK has excluded Greece from a list of some 50+ countries to be exempted from a 14-day quarantine as of July 10, 2020. The decision seems to have become more a political one for not allowing flights into Greece until July 15, rather than one based on the epidemiological profile of the country in the European south. Passengers travelling from Greece to the U.K will be oblidged to a 14 day compulsory quaratine along with another ten or so countries, which will be announced later today.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Shapps said the US is not included as “they have got very high numbers of infections”, while Greece does not feature as it has banned flights from the UK until July 15.
After the 15th July, restrictions will be looked at again and may be lifted. Saying Greece will not be on the amber list to begin with, as the country was currently not allowing flights from the UK.
Brits slightly upset.
A slight upset has been caused to travellers from Britain – Greeks and non-Greeks – who want to arrive in Greece in the near future, after the government announcements about the list of citizens who can travel from today to our country.
A few days ago, the government announced that direct flights from Britain and Sweden would be banned until July 15.
However, yesterday, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that as of today, Greece welcomes tourists from the “EU region”, which includes the Schengen countries (including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania), the Schengen countries (Iceland). , Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein), as well as Ireland and the United Kingdom.
It is worth noting, however, that British tourists as well as Greeks who want to return home before July 15 can come via an “air bridge”, ie traveling through another EU country. (such as Belgium or Germany) for which the Greek borders have been opened.
At the same time, British citizens can cross the Greek border by road if they wish.
The “red” list
As announced yesterday by the EU, the European borders will remain closed to citizens from the United States, Brazil and Russia.
At the same time, Qatar, Turkey, Albania and Northern Macedonia were left out of the list.
The list of safe countries will be updated every two weeks, depending on the epidemiological data of third countries and the way they manage the pandemic.
As for the Greek expatriates, government spokesman Stelios Petsas clarified that they can travel freely in the country provided they have a Greek passport or a Special Identity Card (EDTO).
Travellers from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, Tunisia, South Korea, Thailand and Thailand received the “green light”. Uruguay.
At the same time, the recommendation applies to those from Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican.
He said countries on the list would be labelled as either amber or green, in line with a traffic-light system based on their prevalence of coronavirus.
All amber countries – including France, Germany, Italy and Spain – would have “reciprocal arrangements” in place, meaning travellers from the UK will not have to quarantine on arrival there either, Shapps said.
Greece was one of the first countries that had proposed “mutual lifting of the quarantine” on May 19. Still on June 20, there was talk that Greece was among the countries with which the UK would build “air bridges.”
However, Greek epidemiologists apparently decided otherwise. The direct flights ban until July 15 has been aiming to prohibit mass arrivals from the UK. Individual travelling has been possible, though, through transit countries.
On Thursday, Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis was still unclear as to when British tourists would be allowed in the country. In an interview with Sky News Tonight, Theoharis reassured that “British tourists will be welcome to Greece this summer, with the dates to finalize by mid-July.”
He added that Greece is closely monitoring the epidemiological situation in the UK for the mutual lifting of all restrictions and Greece’s plan “so that tourists have a good time, are safe and to prohibit the spread of possible infections.”
The Foreign Office is also changing its blanket advice against all non-essential foreign travel as of Saturday.
The quarantine restrictions only came into force in early June, in a bid to stop coronavirus entering the country at a time when UK infections were falling
Quarantine restrictions for people returning to or visiting England from the green countries will be lifted as of July 10.
The British government is to publish the full list on this afternoon.
source:- https://www.cnn.gr/news
