An unbelievable incident took place on the Cyclades island of Paros, when six teenagers got infected with coronavirus and there was no place to be accommodated and isolated. They had to spend 16 hours in the parking lot of the parking place of the Health Center, until the state broadcaster ERT intervened and they were transferred to Greek capital Athens.
The six teenagers on vacation woke up on Saturday morning with fever. They went to the Paros Health Center where they were tested positive to Covid-19. Two of them had fever and chills.
They were advised to wait at the parking lot until they are transported to a quarantine hotel as provided by the state rules regarding the pandemic.
However, this did not happen. The teenagers wait to wait outdoors. After six hours, the situation of one of them deteriorated and his father called the doctor at the Health Center, who took him inside along with the other with fever.
The two were ultimately transferred to the quarantine hotel, but the other four remained in the parking lot for a total of 16 hours as nobody was willing to offer them accommodation, not even the Church, ERT reported.
At some point, the teenagers’ parents called the state broadcaster ERT and sought its help and intervention. ERT turned to Civil Protection which is not responsible for the quarantine hotels.
In the very end, the Civil Protection arranged a helicopter so that the four teenagers could be transported from Paros to Athens.
The incident took place a day after local and national media reported of a young Italian tourist tested positive to Covid-19 who was begging for a room on the island of Mykonos as the quarantine hotels were full.
The Civil Protection has reportedly advised that the tourist can find accommodation also in a regular facility, provided he declares that he is Covid-positive. Yet, the tourist could not find any room to isolate himself.
Main opposition SYRIZA denounced on Sunday the case of a family of domestic travelers with a child that could not return to their home in Volos and could not find accommodation on the island of Alonissos, after the mother was tested positive to Covid-19 before their return.
Alonissos has no quarantine hotel as the governmental plan was to have no such hotels on small islands and infected should be on nearby Skiathos for the obligatory quarantine, SYRIZA said in a statement.
However, with the latest decision of the Shipping Ministry on Friday, those returning from the islands to mainland must undergo Covid-tests if not vaccinated. Those tested positive apparently cannot travel by boat not even to the islands with quarantine hotels. And there is not relevant provision for the transport or accommodation of the infected.
It looks that the outbreak in several tourists destinations was much quicker than the government that did not react as soon as it saw infections increasing and did not move towards increasing the number of quarantine hotels that are reportedly 40 in total across the country.
According to ERT, the health Ministry and the Civil Protection are considering to order requisition of hotels to turn them into quarantine ones.
PS Until then…
Greece should as other countries only let vaccinated tourists into the country.
Then there will soon no tourists come any more to Greece, included me. Not a good idea.