Greece to lift negative virus test requirement for travelers

ATHENS

Travelers to Greece with a European vaccination certificate can enter without showing a negative COVID-19 test from Feb. 7, the country’s health minister said on Friday.

Thanos Plevris made the announcement a day after Greece surpassed 2 million virus cases, while the death toll is nearing 24,000.

The country, however, has been gradually easing travel curbs to revive its vital tourism industry.

However, Vana Papaevangelou, an infectious diseases specialist and member of the country’s expert health committee, warned that the omicron variant “is not harmless, especially for the unvaccinated.”

“Let us not deceive ourselves that things are going better and that the coronavirus will gradually turn into a common cold,” she stressed.

“Full vaccination with three doses is the only way,” she added.

Over 68% of Greece’s estimated 11 million population has been fully vaccinated.

According to official data, 568 patients are on ventilators in hospitals across Greece, with 444 (78.17%) of them unvaccinated or partly vaccinated and 124 (21.83%) fully vaccinated.