China News Service, July 4 (Xinhua Times) reported that on July 1, local time, the Greek border was opened to more countries; but 15 days ago, direct flights from the United Kingdom and Sweden were still prohibited. However, some media disclosed that on July 2nd, a flight from Sweden landed at Rhode Island International Airport in Greece, causing concern.
Data Map: On May 18 local time, the Acropolis of Greece was reopened to the public, attracting tourists to visit.
According to reports, the Greek government spokesman Pesas said on the 2nd: "Greece has opened its doors to the world. After final negotiations with the European Union, we have listed a list of countries that allow inbound tourists."
When talking about the number of tourists received by Greece during the epidemic, Pesas said: "We should not take the number of tourists that reached 30 million last year (2019) as a reference, but should start from scratch. We will proceed cautiously until July 15. The government hopes to gradually remove restrictions, but we will remain serious and cautious about the spread of the virus."
According to reports, on July 1, more than 21,100 passengers on 55 international flights arrived at Athens International Airport. According to the data of the Greek City Times website, on July 1st alone, Greece collected 5889 samples of international passengers at 16 airports across the country to conduct new coronavirus testing.
According to a previous notice issued by the Greek Civil Aviation Authority, from June 27 to August 31, all passengers arriving in Greece must complete a passenger location form (PLF) at least 48 hours before check-in for flights, including Information including departure airport, accommodation address, and their expected length of stay in Greece. So that when new cases of crown infection are detected, the authorities can better find contacts.
Pessa also said: "Our goal is to record and isolate possible new crown infection cases in time to avoid the spread of the virus to the community. To this end, we are closely monitoring the development of the epidemic in Europe and other countries in the world. Protecting public health Is the government’s top priority."
The report said that it should be noted that although direct flights from the UK and Sweden are still prohibited. However, some media disclosed that on July 2, a flight from Sweden landed at Rhode Island International Airport, and passengers of Swedish nationality were allowed to enter Greece.
According to preliminary reports, this flight has received a special landing permit. The passengers on board are all journalists and tourism industry practitioners. They entered Greece in order to understand the relevant conditions of the Greek health agreement and epidemic prevention measures. However, some sources pointed out that many passengers indicated that their purpose of coming to Greece was holiday.
When asked about the Swedish flight's entry into Greece, Greek Tourism Minister Harris Theo Harris said that the flight was granted a special permit and all passengers were tested for viruses, so there were no safety issues.
He said: "Approximately 30% to 40% of the passengers on board are executives and journalists of the tourism company Tui. Their purpose in coming to Greece is to investigate how to further promote the tourism industry in the current situation. Recovery." However, Theo Harris did not specify the identity of the other passengers on board. (Cai Ling)