Emphasis on COVID-19 tests, full airplanes and no 14-day quarantine for those returning from Greece are among the proposals Athens submitted to the European Commission, ahead of the free movement plan “Europe needs a rest” Brussels is expected to publish on Wednesday, May 13.
In a 3-page non-paper, Greece is pushing for a very swift return to the freedom of movement in Europe with the goal traveling between EU countries re-opens by June 15.
“Our objective is to work toward re-opening travel between EU countries by 15 June, where possible,” the Greek non-paper, obtained by politico.eu’s Playbook , notes.
Among others it proposes:
“Fair treatment” of all potential travelers to prevent “any nationality bias” in travel protocols and calls for people to be allowed to travel … and then swiftly and easily return home: There should be “no quarantine or other disproportionate or inhibiting requirements upon return.”
Tests required: Still, Athens doesn’t advocate a total reopening of borders for anyone. It calls for “a common understanding” at EU level that all travelers must be tested for either the coronavirus or for antibodies in the three days before making a trip. It says that alternatively, no tests would be required “for travel between regions … which have demonstrated clear and persistent evidence that the COVID-19 situation is under control.”
Last-minute lobbying: There’s one more specific request from a country of thousands of islands that can’t be reached by road. “There can be no discrimination or differentiation by means of travel,” Athens says. “Means of transport by road, air, train or sea re-open at the same time and with proportionate protocols. We cannot allow more remote [member countries] of our Union to be left behind.”
So on planes, “all seats” should be filled, the paper says, as keeping the middle empty “would make flights uneconomical with questionable health benefits.”
Last week, Greece’s Tourism Ministry proposed that tests are conducted 72 hours before travels go on broad of the airplanes, arguing that such tests will ensure that no passenger on a flight is potentially infected.
According to a Greek media outlet, the tests could be alternatively omitted for travelers from countries that can proved with data that they have the pandemic under control.
More information about tourism and hotels in Greece under the pandemic see here.
EU Commission draft “Europe needs a rest” here at politicoeu.
molto interessante le aperture della Grecia ……….mi sembrano di buon senso ….aspettiamo le regole definitive com prima bossa tutto ok 👍