The next two weeks are expected to be crucial for the determination of the repercussions of the international arrivals in Greece that started massively on July 1. From the Greek slogan “We are safe” in May, we are now moving to “an experiment” and “we are holding our breath” as tourists keep flocking into the country.
A total of 5,889 tests were reportedly conducted to tourists at the country’s airports on Wednesday. From the 815 tests at the airport of Heraklio, Crete, the first 215 were negative. More results are expected during the next hours.
Indicative: 2,500 tests were conducted at Elftherios Venizelos in Athens, 586 in Rhodes, 350 in Chania and in Corfu, 324 in Kos.
The tests were conducted based on an algorithm using the passengers’ barcode and calculating the risk that one may be coronavirus carrier depending on the epidemiological profile.
“We are holding our breath”
Summarizing the borders opening and the possible impact on the coronavirus, professor of Infectious Diseases, Nikos Sypsas, is categorical.
“We are holding our breath,” he told Open TV on Wednesday.
He described the borders opening as an “experiment.”
“This is probably the first time such an experiment has been conducted on such a large scale,” Sypsas stressed.
“I think that Greece has implemented a system that will be extremely effective and concerns the completion of the traveler’s data before he even arrives in Greece. This check is done on purpose and not randomly. It is also important that we know his phone number to let him know if there is a problem.
“I don’t hide that we are holding our breath and we believe that within the next 10 to 14 days we will see the effect of the opening of the borders in the epidemic. We hope that the situation will be manageable,” he underlined.
Regarding the development of the pandemic, Sypsas pointed out: “If we see an increase on a daily basis, there will be a redefinition of travel instructions, other measures may be taken as well.”
The Professor was clear: “We will have imported cases and the virus is contagious whether the infected is asymptomatic or has very few symptoms.”, when it is asymptomatic, transmits or when the patient has very few symptoms.”
Significant increase of cases in June
A significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases occurred in Greece in the month of June, partially reversing the picture that was created by the end of May.
The increase is considered partly expected after the lifting of the restrictive measures and the “import” of cases from abroad when the borders opened for tourists from over 30 countries on June 15. In addition local outbreaks have been recorded such as in Echinos village in norther-eastern Greece.
It is indicative that from the 492 confirmed cases in June, more than 95 were reportedly located in new arrivals at the Promachonas border-crossing with Bulgaria and at the two operating airports in Athens and Thessaloniki.
Health experts estimate that if the confirmed cases fluctuate below 50 per day, the increase is not to be considered as “worrying.”
More information on travel to Greece amid the pandemic here.
Well,its not working because we have Boris Johnsons father here from the UK,he should be ashamed of himself and the elderly couple from America,they should not be allowed in if their journey started in one of the banned countries and that information should be ascertained.Its all a joke and Greece will probably reap the disaster that that joke will bring.
My thoughts entirely.
Under the current rules – Johnson Snr as a UK passport holder should have been sent back on the next available flight.
But then again it appears that he may have a French Passport… https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-stanley-johnson-boris-french-passport-rachel-book-rakes-progress-a9416636.html
The one redeeming factor in all this is that Johnson Snr campaigned for the UK to stay in the EU – in my opinion that’s very much to his credit…