Over the past 24 hours, Greece officials have registered 2.845 new cases of COVID-19 across the country. A new upsurge in cases now sees Santorini and Ithaca catching up to Mykonos in cases per 100,000 residents. Travel experts see a coming COVID chaos if Greece’s numbers aren’t down soon.
According to this latest report from the Hellenic National Public Health Organization (EODY), Mykonos tops the list of destinations where COVID-19 is surging. However, right behind Greece’s party island is the Island of Ithaca with 154 cases per 100,000 people, followed closely by legendary Santorini with an incidence of 132 cases per 100,000 people.
The only other destination even close to these three popular tourist attractions is the port city of Chania on Crete Island. As for the total number of new cases, of course, Athens tops the list as Greece’s most populous city. The report tells us 12 more people have died as a result of coronavirus complications.
Mykonos and Ios are both on the threshold of imposing fresh restrictions due to a surge in infections. A report from The Telegraph frames the situation grimly. According to their story, the government has upped the number of police on Mykonos to 185 to step up checks at nightspots. In most years the island only has 50 or so officers stationed there.
The curfew and other measures instituted on Mykonos were lifted on Monday following negative publicity and a wave of canceled bookings to the famous good times island. However, Nikos Hardalias, the Greek deputy civil protection minister now warns Santorini and a laundry list of other islands may get restrictions too.
Meanwhile, in the UK the country’s COVID rating board begins to look like a Christmas tree of confusing greens, ambers, reds, and color shades in between with all the COVID chaos. And, news of two hour-long queues to show COVID-19 documentation at Heathrow and other airports do not instill traveler confidence either.
Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of cases in the country has reached 487,709. The Covid-19 death toll in Greece is 12,935. About half of Greece’s population has now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.