Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that the United States is set to be left off the list of countries allowed to resume direct flights to Greece on June 15 and July 1, but it could be added later in the summer. The exclusion has to do with the current US epidemiological data
Mitsotakis said that Greece’s government was finalizing the list of countries that will be allowed to resume flights to Athens on June 15 and regional airports on July 1 and has already stated that Germany will be included.
“It is unlikely that the (US) will be on our list, given the data that we currently have,” Mitsotakis told a web event hosted by the Brookings Institution and Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
“We will start with countries that have similar epidemiological data with Greece. And we expect to gradually ramp up direct flights to our islands” the Greek Prime Minister said according to washingtonpost and the Associated Press.
PM Mitsotakis says United States set to be left off list of countries allowed to resume direct flights to Greece on June15/July 1
but could be added later. #Greece #Covid_19
HT @BrookingsGlobal @Miller_Center pic.twitter.com/grYlEE2rdg— Derek Gatopoulos (@dgatopoulos) May 27, 2020
Among the first countries to allowed to sent travelers to Greece on June 15 are Germany, Israel and Cyprus, government sources told reuters today.
Greece has announced to publish the lists of countries allowed to direct flights on June 15 (1st group) and July 1 (2nd group) by end of May.
According to initial plans, restrictions for other countries could be lifted on July 15.
How about Canada?
no idea
Quebec is too hot for Canada to be included.
Referring to “direct flights”, what does this mean? Where I fly from in Texas, I have to transfer in Frankfurt. There are very few direct flight from the US with the exception of New York and Atlanta. Can someone please explain this?
There hasn’t been any flights from Atlanta to Greece in years. However, there are—up until the ban—flights out of Philadelphia and Chicago.
this policy is misdirection. If you are a greek/eu national you can travel on 6/1 and non eu/greek spouses/children can come as well.
No direct us/greek flights, but most are european layovers then to greece and no pretest or quarantine req’d
germany demanded this to save Luftanza airline
Keep in mind that the USA has similar restrictions on Greeks entering, too. It’s kind of like Greece is on its good behavior, and is getting penalized for it. The situation in every European country is different, yet the US has kind of a “blanket” policy for all the European countries.
Perhaps Mitsotakis would lift the ban on Americans, if the we lifted our ban on Greeks entering the US.
He is no Trump He is a Harvard grad with class. This is no tit-for-tat. It was even clearly explained in the article that “The exclusion has to do with the current US epidemiological data”
I can just imagine young American’s planning summer trips to Greece via Germany and other indirect flights. Why not come to relatively safe Greece, Greek islands to spread the virus? Are tests being conducted at transit points and upon arrival in Athens. The current news from America indicates increased cases of Covid-19. And by the way we are really glad to see China. of all places, is on the 29 countries list. The Greek government has done an outstanding job containing the virus, but these new pronouncements will undo all the good that was done. I’m really looking forward to forthcoming lock-downs.
And how do you profess they will get entry with an American passport?
Following numerous meetings and radio/TV broadcasts during the Greek Tourism Minister’s visit to the UK during April where he assured UK citizens that they would be among “the very first visitors to be welcomed to Greece” when international borders re-opened on 1 July, we now find that we are not among the 29 countries to be welcomed to either Athens or Thessaloniki on 15th June. I can’t help wondering if the UK’s (ridiculous) decision to commence quarantining of all entrants into the UK from 8th June 2020 has a lot to do with this. I sincerely hope that both countries will review their self-harming decisions by July 1 when so many loyal, annnual (or more) UK visitors are able to help Greece to recoup some of their losses by holidaying in their beloved Greece this year. I am just one of the thousands I refer to.
UK has a population of 67 million with 271.000 cases and 38,161 deaths. Its current decline is headed in the right direction and will ultimately be allowed in but for now, with this high volume, it too remains too great of a hotbed. Even Italy is on the decline and you saw what happened there.
Better safe than tragically sorry. Right?