Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Greece would achieve 5 million vaccinations by the end of May. At a meeting of the Council of Ministers, Mitsotakis underlined how there have already been 3 million vaccinations. He asserted that another 2 million would be completed if the government sticks to the plan.
Meanwhile, Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced Sunday that the quarantine requirement is lifted for travelers from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, and Thailand. The lifting is contingent upon travelers supplying the necessary proof they are COVID free or vaccinated with approved vaccines. In an interesting twist, restrictions on domestic flights are extended to May 10, and only essential travel is allowed between Greek airports.
In Cyprus, reports from Nicosia tell of officials opening to tourists who can show they are free of COVID-19; at the exact moment, the government has now imposed a two-week lockdown and night curfew to try to slow cases that are rising again. A recent surge in cases is dampening hopes that tourism can return to normal after a year-long pandemic has nearly destroyed businesses there.
Greece recorded 1,317 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, according to the National Public Health Organization (EODY). There are also 80 deaths recorded in the previous 24 hours, bringing pandemic victims to 10,087. Of these, 95.5 pct had an underlying condition and/or were 70 years old.
The WTCC has announced Greece receiving the “Global Champion Award for COVID-19 Crisis Management”. Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis accepted the award at a special event held in Cancún, Mexico. Theoharis said he was pleased to receive the award, which symbolizes Greece’s importance as a tourism destination and a leader in sanitary protocols.
Finally, Greece’s main opposition party SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance released a statement saying that the country’s vaccination program was the victim of a governmental “communications glut” or an over-reliance on PR management instead of practical management of the pandemic. The release stated:
“Up until October 2020, we had 393 deaths and in six months, from October 2020 until today, while under the strictest and most futile lockdown in Europe, those losses multiplied 25-fold and have today reached 10,007 [deaths].”
New Democracy’s main opposition says that After six months of harsh lockdown, the national health system and those working in the health sector are still on the brink of collapse, without tangible support, and the number of intubated patients inside and outside ICUs dramatically high.