Update – 28/05/2020

As of the latest update by the Greek authorities yesterday evening, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece is 2,903. No new deaths were recorded and the total number of fatalities stands at 173. The number of patients treated in intensive care units stands at 17, while 102 people have left the intensive care unit.

TOURISM/ TRAVEL

• Greece will allow travelers from around two dozen countries including Germany, Cyprus and Israel to visit from mid-June without having to be quarantined, government officials said, part of a gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions. The full list will be announced this week.

• Greece currently allows citizens from all EU countries except Italy, Spain and the Netherlands to fly into Athens but they are then subject to a 14-day confinement. Visitors from Britain and other non-EU countries are also currently barred from entering Greece.

• The government has said it plans to restore international flights to Greece’s islands from July 1 but will refuse entry to citizens from countries with high infection rates until July 15.

TOURISM/ HEALTH

• Using dinghies, GPS and a portable refrigerator, doctors deployed by Greece’s national public health agency have launched a coronavirus testing drive on the country’s Aegean Sea islands ahead of the summer vacation season.

• To prevent a surge in infections, ferries are running with reduced capacity. Hospitals on the Greek islands are receiving resources to create intensive care units. Many smaller islands with only basic medical facilities are being helped by local aid groups like Symplefsi, which supplied volunteers and inflatable dinghies to help doctors from a state-run health agency perform virus tests on remote islands such as Sikinos.

SPORTS

• Greek soccer is probably returning to action early next month, as the Super League announced on Monday decided to propose to the Greek government that its playoffs start on June 6-7.

• The 14 league members agreed to implement the extraordinary rule of world governing body FIFA for a maximum number of five substitutions per team per game, instead of three, and a maximum number of 20 players per squad, instead of 18. Games will be played behind closed doors and in accordance with the health protocols agreed with the health authorities.

CULTURE

• The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in the southern Athens neighborhood of Kallithea is to reopen to the public from next week, though visitors must reserve their tickets for events online so that numbers can be restricted in line with social distancing guidelines, the center said in a statement on Wednesday.

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