Greece is set to scrap the remainder of its Covid-related travel restrictions on 2 May, the country’s health minister has confirmed - just in time for its summer tourist season.
Thanos Plevris said on Tuesday that pandemic conditions had stabilised in the country, allowing Greece “to proceed with the suspension of the protection measures put in place from 1 May.”
Greece’s use of vaccine certificates, recovery certificates and its requirement to wear masks in indoor public places will no longer be in place from 2 May.
However, Mr Plevris emphasised in a TV interview that these measures are being suspended, rather than abolished. He said that the new rules would be reviewed in September.
He also encouraged the use of masks for locals amid this weekend’s Easter celebrations.
For Britons, it means a frictionless return to one of the most popular summer holiday spots in just over two weeks’ time.
Travellers will no longer need to take a pre-travel test, quarantine or even provide proof of vaccination to enter the country.
On the ground, you will no longer have to wear a mask in indoor spaces such as hotel lobbies and museums, nor show vaccine certificates to enter some venues.
The country had already shown signs of relaxing its rules for visitors, scrapping its passenger locator form on 15 March, as well as extending the validity of visitors’ vaccine passes to nine months on 1 April.
At present and until 2 May, all arrivals to Greece must still show either: proof of two jabs; proof of recovery from Covid within the past 180 days; or a negative PCR test (within 72 hours) or antigen test (24 hours) result in order to enter the country.
From 2 May Greece joins a list of 15 European countries, including Sweden, Iceland, Madeira and Ireland, which have dropped all Covid-related travel rules.
