Greek islands get midnight curfew for restaurants and bars as coronavirus cases rise
GREECE has enforced a strict night-time curfew on its holiday islands, after the country recorded the highest number of daily new coronavirus infections since the pandemic started.
Bars and restaurants in Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Rhodes, Zante and Crete will be closed from midnight until 7am, according to the Greek government.
Along with the cities of Thessaloniki, Larissa, Volos and Katerini, also affected by the curfew, this will be in place from today until August 23.
Greece recorded 203 new cases on Sunday, the highest since the pandemic started, with overall cases now 5,749.
There have been 213 Covid deaths in the country so far.
The new measures have been modelled on the island of Poros near Athens, where masks must be worn at all times and entertainment venues, including bars and restaurants, close by 11pm, after a surge in cases was reported.
Anyone entering Greece from Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Spain or Sweden will have to have a negative coronavirus test result to be allowed in.
The test must be taken up to 72 hours before travelling, and will be enforced from August 17.
The rise in cases could lead to Greece being placed onto the UK travel ban list, but there are also concerns that Greece will continue to place travel restrictions on tourists coming into the country.
With the country’s health minister Vasillis Kikilias warning Monday that infection rates are rising, expert scientists are drawing up new steps to break the chain of transmission.
Professor Gkikas Magiorkinis, one of Greece’s leading epidemiologists, told Sun Online Travel: "It's a turning point. If this dramatic increase in cases continues, then we will be seeing more than 300 to 350 cases a day."
Brits are arriving daily, flying straight into popular island airports to destinations such as Corfu, Zante and Crete, after the UK banned flights to Spain.
Families are gambling as they attempt to make the most of a trip abroad this summer by travelling to Greece, while internet searches for holidays to the country overtake Spain.
The UK is yet to put Greece on the travel ban list, and no quarantine is required when returning from holiday.
There are some restrictions however - Brits entering Greece have to fill in a Passenger Locator Form 24 hours before travelling.
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Families will then be sent a QR code before travelling, which must be shown on arrival, or risk huge fines or being sent back to the UK.
Some travellers have reported problems with the forms, claiming they didn't receive the code, or warning that their tour operator didn't inform them of the new restrictions.
Love Island's Molly Mae claimed she was nearly prevented from boarding the flight after failing to fill in the forms correctly while travelling to Greece.