The summer tourism season this year in Greece resumed from June 15, 2020, under the threat of global pandemic COVID-19, and therefore the tourists whether they are the residents of Greece or the countries have to enjoy their vacations according to the norms determined by the government rather than according to their wish as they had been doing earlier. Well, the best thing is that the process of unlock has begun in the country and this opened the gates for tourists to visit their favorite destinations, following the guidelines to ensure their as well as other’s safety.
Today, we are discussing some of the changes that have been initiated in the post lockdown for the tourists and what are those measures that are expected to be followed by all the tourists.
- Flights to Greece: The service of international flights in Greece resumed from June 15, 2020. In the beginning, the airports of Athens and Thessaloniki operated their function and allowed flights from particular countries to land. However, all the airports have now resumed their operations from July 1, 2020. According to the guidelines issued by government passengers may be tested randomly at the airport, any passenger found suspected from COVID-19 will have to be quarantined for 14 days.
- Transportation: Going through the increasing threat of corona virus, specific rules have been determined for the different transport facilities available in the urban area, including taxis, car rental, buses, and sources of public transportation. Let for instance say, if you are acquiring car rental services in Paxos Island, then only four people including the driver will be allowed to travel in the vehicle with a sitting capacity of seven persons. While traveling all the passengers will be required to wear face masks and maintain the proper distance between them.
- Ferries: The use of ferries is mainly on the islands and all the visitors prefer to explore the beauty of these islands by hiring personal ferries. The rules for hiring the ferry are mentioned below:
a. Before moving in the ferry, passengers will be required to fill a questionnaire related to their health and their temperature will be noted.
b. The use of masks is mandatory for every person present on the ferry including passengers and crew members.
c. As for safety measures, people will be required to wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, and maintain a distance of almost 2 meters.
d. The ferries will be allowed to board only a limited number of passengers than compared to the passengers boarded earlier.
- Hotels: Going through the arrival of masses in hotels different types of rules and regulations have been determined for hotels to control the spread of corona virus. The main objective of all these regulations is to control the contact between the people, including travelers, natives, and people located at different destinations. However, all the hotels have been instructed to determine their guidelines to ensure the safety of visitors and their staff. Some of the instructions common for all the hotels and restaurants are wearing the face mask by the staff members, wearing disposable hand gloves, face mask and face shield by the staff at reception, recording the details of all the visitors, separate space for exit and entrance, use of sanitizer on chairs and tables as soon as the visitors leave their place, having a plan readily available for treating the situation in case of any person found suspected from the corona virus.
In short, it can be said that with unlock Greece and its tourist destinations are ready to welcome the tourists with open arms, but with precautionary measures.