Update – 26/06/2020

As of the latest update by the Greek authorities yesterday, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece is 3,321. The death toll from Covid-19 has climbed to 191, as one more fatality was recorded in the past 24 hours. The number of patients treated in intensive care units stands at 9, while 118 patients have left the intensive care unit.

MEASURES/RESTRICTIONS

• Greek authorities on Thursday extended for the fourth time a lockdown order for a small village community in the region of Xanthi, northern Greece, for another five days after evaluating the epidemiological data in the area. The new decision with extend the existing lockdown for Echinos until the end of June, when the General Secretariat for Civil Protection will reevaluate the situation.

TOURISM

• Passengers arriving to Greece from specific countries are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Information Form. The form must be filled out by passengers arriving from Albania, Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Travelers from other non-EU countries will also have to fill out the form. Passengers are required to provide personal contact details, an address for where they will be staying in Greece as well as the country of first departure. The information provided will help the direct response of the Greek authorities if necessary.

• The five-star Makedonia Palace Hotel will reopen its doors on July 1, offering visitors of Thessaloniki a safe accommodation environment. The hotel has launched an enhanced cleaning and hygiene program titled “Safely Together”, aiming to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure a safe stay.

• European airline companies appear to have excluded a number of Greek islands from their updated flight schedules, which according to analytics firm GlobalData could impact local economies reliant on tourism. At the same time, besides flights, ferry services also impacted by Covid-19 are operating on a 50 percent capacity limiting access to many of the remote islands.

GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT MEASURES

• Greece’s Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) will be accepting applications starting Thursday, June 25, for parties eligible to receive state subsidies for tourism. Under the program eligible recipients will receive an online voucher covering 81 percent of all travel costs and valid through to July 2021. The application procedure closes on July 2, 2020 at 23:59.

• This is the first time the Labor Ministry will cover ferry fares and has increased the maximum duration of stays from five to six nights. The move was announced earlier this month in an attempt to boost domestic travel and revive tourism after Covid-19. In this direction, the government tripled the budget for the 2020-2021 program from 10 million euros to 30 million euros. The tourism subsidy scheme takes effect on August 1 and runs through to July 31, 2021 at all hotels on OAED’s partner list. This year’s program will support 300,000 people, up from 140,000 last year, and ferry fare coverage is aimed at stimulating travel particularly to the Greek islands.

• Share: