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Tourists coming to Greece from July 1 will have to complete an online questionnaire two days in advance and will receive a barcode which will determine if they should be screened upon arrival. The Greek government ended this weekend the random screening tests for travelers according to their country of origin, which had caused confusion among tourists. The latter did not know whether they should spend a night at the hotel to be tested or placed in quarantine after landing since June 15 in Athens and Thessaloniki (north). Greece, which has been relatively spared from the coronavirus epidemic with 191 deaths, is waging a vast promotional campaign aimed at boosting tourism, which accounts for a quarter of its GDP, reassuring potential travelers as well as Greeks who fear a resurgence of the pandemic with the return of tourists.
The government has implemented a new protocol, requiring travelers to complete an online questionnaire 48 hours before arrival, with personal details such as their country of origin or the countries crossed in the past 15 days. This questionnaire is mandatory until August 31. Each person will then receive a personal barcode established according to the data provided, which will be checked on their mobile phone or on paper at their port of arrival. According to its barcode, it will be directed to the exit or to the screening area, and in this case, it will have to isolate itself at the address provided on the questionnaire, pending the results of the test, according to the new Civil Protection protocol. With this new “algorithm procedure, we are likely to be able to detect the majority of imported cases,” said Dimitris Paraskevis, member of the expert committee of the Greek Ministry of Health. From July 1, all the country’s airports will reopen for international flights, the ports of Patras and Igoumenista will once again welcome ferries from Italy and the other ports of the country will be reopened to cruise ships.
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