Greece Health Expert Sets Summer Covid-19 Rules

Lab tests, hygiene rules, social distancing and protecting vulnerable groups are at the center of the Greek health ministry’s coronavirus (Covid-19) plan for the summer ahead in addition to plenty of patience, according to its spokesperson Sotiris Tsiodras.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Tsiodras said discussions were ongoing among health experts and government officials in Greece and in Europe with regard to the summer ahead and tourism.

He added that all forms of travel will be realized with strict adherence to regulations, which are currently being examined.

Tsiodras underlined that at this point, tourism from abroad is not a priority, “but there are definitely some processes and some discussions about what health rules could allow tourism to reopen in our country as well as in other European countries.”

“We can gradually begin to think about domestic tourism, but always linked to following hygiene guidelines,” he said.

Sotiris Tsiodras, Health Ministry spokesperson for the coronavirus, and Nikos Chardalias, Deputy Minister of Civil Protection. Archive photo: civilprotection.gr

Tsiodras referred to lab tests as a safe way to assess if someone is a carrier of Covid-19.

Enabling travel will hinge on laboratory testing, he said, “especially if we have a laboratory test that can be done quickly and ensure that someone is not a carrier of the disease when traveling or has had the disease, if there is a reliable antibody”.

Tsiodras added that the use of mask is vital on all forms of transport, and that hygiene rules are necessary to also protect vulnerable groups.

“We will not risk a period when the virus can still be circulating – as we are not sure if the heat can affect its circulation – passing it on to a holiday home or a house where our parents or people with increased risk live,” he said.