Aviation
GREECE was once again allowing flights from Britain on Wednesday, with the first charters already landing in Rhodes, Crete and Athens, state broadcaster ERT reported.
Tourists from Sweden are due to be allowed in the coming week. “The lifting of the ban despite the high number of COVID-19 cases in Britain signals that the Greek tourism is clutching at straws to survive,’’ Christos Pilatakis, a hotel manager on Rhodes, told DPA over the phone.
Germans are the country’s most numerous visitors, followed by Britons.
According to data from the organisation of Greek hotel operators, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the industry hard.
Only half of the hotels are open, and bookings for August are at 15 percent from the corresponding month in 2019.
On the other hand, tourists who do arrive have the country’s beaches, tavernas, archaeological sites and museums nearly to themselves.
All tourists flying to Greece must register by email no more than 24 hours before departing and provide information about where they were previously and where they will stay during their holiday.
An algorithm then determines who will need to be tested for the virus.
Greece has kept a low infection rate, owing to quick and efficient measures early on, however, it has recently reported an increase, with virtually all new cases linked to tourists.
On Tuesday, authorities said that 58 new patients were registered over the previous 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed coronavirus infections to 3,883, with 193 dead. (dpa/NAN)
– Jul. 15, 2020 @ 12:12 GMT |
Tags: Greece lifts ban on flights from Britain
