Greek PM confirms no Israeli tourists until August

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that August 1 will also be the date when Israelis are allowed to return to Greece.

He says his goal is to put safety first.

Mitsotakis earlier told the Yedioth Ahronoth paper that he was hoping to resume bilateral tourism between the countries soon.

On Monday, Greece welcomed the first international flights whose passengers didn’t face compulsory COVID-19 tests, to Athens and Thessaloniki. Direct international flights to regional Greek airports, including its sun-kissed islands, will begin on July 1. Visitors will be subject to random virus testing.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, visits the town of Fira in Satorini, June 13, 2020. (Dimitris Papamitsos/ Greek Prime Minister’s Office via AP)

“A lot will depend on whether people feel comfortable to travel and whether we can project Greece as a safe destination,” Mitsotakis acknowledged then.

On Sunday, a group of Israelis was not allowed to board a flight for Greece at the last moment after the airline said the country would not let them in, despite Israelis believing they had been deemed a “green country” by Athens.

However, Greece said it had to keep to EU rules which forbid entry from those outside Schengen borders until July 1 at least.

— with AP