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Foreigners who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have tests to verify the presence of antibodies or the absence of the coronavirus can travel to Greece this summer. The country is set to open for the summer season on May 14, although it is currently experiencing an increase in infected.
Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said today that a health protocol has been drawn up for the summer of 2021 that includes random checks of guests. The country is among the main supporters of the idea of a vaccination certificate, recognized in the EU, to unlock travel.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, today expressed her hope that an agreement on this “green pass” will soon be reached and that it will be activated before the beginning of summer. He told public broadcaster ERT in Athens: “I think we have a similarity in agreeing on the need for such a digital certificate, which will be a European product and the same for all of Europe.”
Shinas added that On March 17 (next Wednesday) the European Commission will present its proposal for this certificate, but specify that it will not contain your application parameters. The proposal will then be debated in the corresponding EU Councils of Ministers on March 25, after which there will be a technical preparation period so that the registration system for these certificates is available in each EU country.
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- One fifth of the employed Greeks are in the tourism sector, which represents around 20% of the GDP of the national economy. But for thousands of businesses (about 80,000) with restaurants, the survival time expires after five consecutive months of lockdown. Only those who can pay for deliveries after pre-ordering or packing the purchase for home work. About 11% of establishments are in danger of sudden liquidation if state aid and subsidies cease in the second quarter. According to the National Statistical Office (ELSTAT), the sector lost 2.3 billion euros last year after a contraction of almost 38% in turnover. But for small and medium-sized companies, the turnover collapsed in 2020 by almost 52% and how real the picture is will be clear in the next 6 months. Currently, more than 44% of entrepreneurs fear having to close their business only in this period due to debt and money depletion. They are unlikely to be allowed to work at Easter and tourists are not expected before late May or early June.
“Tourists are welcome if they have been vaccinated before the trip, have tested antibodies or a negative PCR test. All tourists will be randomly tested,” Minister Theocharis said in a video aimed at the ITB exhibition in Berlin. He explained that after vaccinating its most vulnerable citizens, the country will focus on those who work in the tourism, hospitality, entertainment and restaurant industries. Frequent employee testing is mandatory.
Vaccinators should be aware that according to health regulators, true immunity exists approximately 2 weeks after the second dose.
2.5 million vaccinated at the end of April
The government expects 2.5 million people to receive doses by the end of April, Kathimerini said, citing a spokesperson for the e-government ministry. This is the institution that manages the monitoring portal of the national vaccination program.
Deputy Minister George Jorgantas told Skai TV that 1.13 million vaccinations have been carried out so far and that another 1.4 million are scheduled on the website emvolio.gov.gr. Approximately 373,000 Greeks received two doses. For the first time, the state reaches out to the people in this way and the platform works well after various problems and collapse since its opening in late December.
According to Yorgantas, an average of 33-34 thousand people are currently vaccinated a day. In April, the pace should pick up with the arrival of 1.2 million doses of the Jansen vaccine and another 1.07 million doses from Pfizer.
By mid-May, all people over 60 and people in high-risk groups should be protected, a total of about 270,000 people.
Difficult weeks ahead
But before the summer season opens, Greece must face another escalation of the pandemic. Today, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said that new coronavirus patients from the capital area may need to be transferred to hospitals outside of Attica. In an area where at least a third of the country’s population lives, public hospitals are running out of capacity for the disease. “In a few hours or a day, I will call private doctors to help us,” he added. A private health group has already offered one or two of its clinics for this purpose.
According to Kikilias, 2-3 difficult weeks are ahead, so the ministry plans to increase the number of beds in intensive care units by almost 1,400, and the campaign will begin immediately. In Attica, more than 90% of the 350 beds for COVID-19 in intensive care units are occupied, and in milder cases in hospitals, this proportion is 82%. At the national level, these figures are 66.5% and 50% as of Monday.
The death of the youngest infected person was recorded in the country on Monday: a baby died in a children’s hospital in Athens just 37 days after birth, of which the treatment lasted about two weeks.
