Greece: New Rules for Tourists Infected with Covid-19

Tourists to Greece who find themselves infected with Covid-19 will not be required to quarantine, according to a new government decision issued this week concerning health protocols.

More specifically, there will be no quarantine rooms at hotels for tourists with Covid-19, according to the decision (FEK) on health protocols for the operation of tourism businesses during Covid-19 for 2022 issued by the ministries of health, tourism and economy.

At the same time, a current rule which foresees self-isolation for a period of five days for residents with Covid, does not apply in the case of travelers.

According to the new protocols, tourists will be able choose whether they wish to remain in self-isolation and only for the number of days they have booked.

Additionally, under the new regulations, Covid-infected tourists will also be able to travel by ferry, plane or other means of transport as long as they wear a high-protection face mask (FFP2 or ΚΝ95).

“There was a lot of discussion about how to manage [Covid] outbreaks at tourist accommodation facilities, and we decided to enforce the rules that apply in other Mediterranean countries. The majority of countries in northern Europe have no measures in place to protect against the coronavirus,” epidemiologist Christos Hatzichristodoulou told Protagon.

This means that travelers visiting Greece who come down with Covid can remain in their hotel room or accommodation facility for the period they’ve booked if they choose so and can travel on all forms of public transport regardless of positive or negative test findings as long as they wear a face mask.

More specifically, according to the new protocols for hotels:

– in the event of a positive case at a hotel, the facility’s Covid health manager is informed and the visitor is advised to self-isolate in his/her room

– the affected individual is provided with a mask and the facility’s in-house doctor is informed. For hotels or units with no doctor, the local doctor is called to assess

– if a patient needs hospitalization, they will be transported by ambulance or any other means necessary to the nearest health center

– the National Public Health Organization (EODY) should also be informed of the incident by the hotel’s Covid manager (via phone 210-521-2054 or 1135)

– the regulation leaves open the possibility of hotels with Covid quarantine rooms to use these should the doctor find it necessary and mainly for infected staff members.