A meeting of Greece’s health experts on Monday recommended that traditional festivals be banned in the country until the end of July, along with other measures.

Greece’s Health Ministry experts convened via a video conference on Monday, chaired by Vassilis Kikilias, to review the national plan for protection. Attendees also included Deputy Civil Protection and Crises Management Minister Nikos Hardalias and infectious disease expert Professor Sotiris Tsiodras. The conference took place following a coronavirus meeting held earlier on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

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A number of decisions were made:

  • Random testing will be stepped up at entry points to Greece, with emphasis on the Promachonas border crossing. According to Petsas, out of a total 67.797 tests carried out on arrivals at the country’s borders on 1-11 July, 218 had tested positive. The rate at Promachonas, however, was roughly fourfold that of other entrance points, such as the Athens international airport. As of Wednesday, when arrivals have to display certification that they have taken a negative PCR test for COVID-19 within the last 72 hours, there will be an extremely thorough inspection of the documents presented and sanctions if these are inauthentic or forged.
  • Tighter controls of the border crossings with Albania, at Kakavia and Krystallopigi.
  • Direct flights from the UK will resume as planned on 15 July and from Sweden on 22 July, and flights from the US may be allowed from the end of July.
  • Possible restrictions on the ban on country fairs and festivals, or other events where there is crowding and large numbers of people congregate in close proximity, possibly up to the end of July.