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Holidaymakers planning to visit Greece, and those already there, face a nervous wait to see if the Mediterranean destination can maintain its place on the Amber List during the next traffic light review, scheduled for Wednesday.
The holiday hotspot is amber, allowing for non-quarantine travel for fully vaccinated people, since overseas travel resumed in May.
Greece recently suffered a spike in Covid cases. However, the outbreak appears to have peaked five days ago, on August 15, when new cases hit a moving average of 3,276 days over seven days.
Case rates have since fallen slightly to 3,141. While 52% of the Greek population is now fully vaccinated against the virus.
What traffic light does Greece currently have?
Greece failed to go green in the last traffic light reshuffle on August 4 and is still on the Amber List.
This means that you will need to be fully vaccinated to travel without quarantine.
If you are not fully vaccinated, you can still travel to Greece, but you will need to quarantine yourself for 10 days at home upon your return and take an additional PCR test on the eighth day.
When is the next travel update scheduled?
The next travel update is expected to be announced in the usual way, via a series of tweets from Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps, Wednesday August 25 or Thursday August 26.
Could Greece turn red?
It is very unlikely. Daily case rates in Greece are dropping and the beta variant, which previously raised concerns for the government, is now being overtaken by the delta variant across Europe.
According to travel expert Tim White, who spoke exclusively to I On his forecast for the next traffic light update, travelers to Greece and the rest of the UK’s most popular Orange List destinations can rest easy.
What are the rules of the traffic light system?
The traffic light system is decided on the basis of the following criteria:
- The percentage of a country’s population that has been vaccinated
- The infection rate
- The prevalence of worrisome variants
- The country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing
There are now four categories of traffic lights, one more than when Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps first announced the system in May 2021.
GreenArrivals must pass a pre-departure test three days before returning to the UK as well as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test no later than the second day of their return. Quarantine does not apply (unless the Covid-19 test comes back positive) and there is no requirement for further testing.
Green watchlist: same rules as the green list. However, the countries on this list “are at risk of going from green to orange”, potentially in the very short term.
amber: All travelers must pass a pre-departure test three days before return and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test no later than the second day of their return. Unvaccinated travelers should also self-isolate for 10 days and have a second PCR test on day 8. An additional five-day optional test may be performed, with a negative result allowing unvaccinated travelers to “test” out of quarantine. The Day 8 PCR test should always be performed regardless of the result of the optional Day 5 PCR test.
Red: Arrivals from Red List countries must complete a 10 day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, pre-departure testing and mandatory PCR testing no later than day 2 and on or after day 8. The price of a stay in a quarantine hotel has increased – for bookings made from 4 a.m. on August 12 it costs £ 2,285 for a single adult (there is an additional charge for more people in a group family). The previous price was £ 1,750 per single adult.
The data analyst, who has an excellent track record in deciphering the government’s notoriously opaque criteria, said: “For those who are concerned that their destinations will turn red, I don’t think there is much concern. for usual tourist destinations.
“I very much doubt that an EU destination will be affected. It is therefore expected that Greece, Spain and their islands, Cyprus, Portugal, etc. all remain orange with the beta variant almost ousted now. “
What do I have to do to enter Greece?
All travelers over 12 years old must complete a passenger locator form before arriving in Greece.
They must also have proof of a negative PCR test, carried out within 72 hours of arrival, or of a negative rapid antigen carried out 48 hours before your arrival or proof of vaccination.
Greece is also accepting proof of recovery from Covid-19 in the form of a positive PCR test result taken 30 to 180 days before your travel dates.
What is the latest news on forest fires in Greece?
Two separate wildfires are still burning just outside of Athens to this day.
Both fires have mostly abated, with firefighters still working to keep the flames at bay.
Yesterday evening, a major forest fire burned down houses in the village of Vilia, 40 miles northwest of Athens, before “most” of the outbreak was brought under control, according to the Minister of Justice. Protection of citizens Michalis Chrisochoidis.
Another blaze 40 miles southeast of Athens, near the port town of Lavrio, was also repelled using water bombers and helicopters.
Much of Greece is still under very high risk Category 4 warning, including the southeastern Peloponnese, most of the Attica region around Athens. and the islands of Lesbos, Lemnos and Chios.
The southern half of the island of Evia, which was the scene of terrible destruction when the northern part of the island was destroyed earlier this month, is also subject to a high warning. risk.
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