Greece is preparing to welcome the new tourist season, allowing international flights to Athens from June 15th and to the islands from July 1st, with safety and responsibility.
With the exception of EU countries, there are restrictions on flights depending on the country of take-off, while countries with negative epidemiological characteristics are excluded. This decision is also justified by the fact that generalized COVID-19 checks will not apply to all visitors.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the country is divided into three risk zones based on accessibility to health facilities and the possibility of epidemiological tests.
In Zone A (low risk) is the whole of mainland Greece, Crete, Evia, the islands of the Saronic Gulf, the nearby Cyclades and in general those tourist destinations located less than two hours away from tertiary health facilities.
In Zone B (moderate risk) are destinations with COVID-19 structures, such as Santorini, Paros, Rhodes and some islands in the Northeast Aegean.
In Zone C (high risk) are remote islands with no COVID-19 or no health structures at all.
In parallel with the above, the Ministry of Tourism has imposed strict standards for the safe operation of tourism businesses, so that a possible case can be identified and isolated in time, thus preventing the possible spread of COVID-19.
According to these, each tourism business must draw up a protocol of operation, while hotels with a capacity of more than 50 rooms must also have an action plan for the management of a suspected case.
Their staff must be trained and their cooperation with health structures and doctors must be strengthened. It is necessary to record the data of all visitors in a way that is in line with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in order to investigate the close contacts of any COVID-19 case.
Strict standards are set for each area of tourist accommodation. It is important that in order to avoid overcrowding in the reception area, it is recommended to extend the check-in and check-out duration, as well as to pay only by electronic means.
Daily cleaning of the rooms during the stay is prevented while meticulous cleaning of them is required after the departure of the visitors. It is obvious that the catering services within the accommodation operate under very strict restrictions.
Emphasis is placed on disinfecting the water supply and sewerage network of accommodation, while the operation of indoor pools is prohibited and good chlorination and disinfection of outdoor pools is required. The distance between the bathers should be at least 2 meters and restrictions are imposed on the number of bathers that can be inside the pool at the same time.
In public areas the distance between visitors should be at least 3 meters.
Of course, similar restrictions apply to beaches.
It is becoming clear that Greece is in the process of intensive preparation to maintain the very low level of COVID-19 spread and to protect its summer visitors, without depriving them of the opportunity to enjoy their summer vacation in a beautiful destination.
We remain at your disposal for any clarification and/or information.
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Note: It is pointed out that the above outline of provisions is suggestive and summarizing and aims at providing a quick update in relation to the legal framework. Any subjection of your company to the above provisions and the conditions of this subjection constitute the object of a more complete analysis for which the provision of specialized legal advices is required. The contents of this newsletter do not constitute legal or tax advice and cannot be used as such. In case you require advice for your personal needs, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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