It was just about a week ago that I wrote the post titled, “Wow, Israel Announces 14 Day Quarantine for All Visitors.” It was a big move at the time but here we are, one week later, and it is hardly that big of a move now. Today, Greece has made the same move and they are in a similar category as Israel – countries that rely heavily on tourists. So, this is a big move for both countries.
Greece Announces 14 Day Quarantine for All Visitors
If you have travel plans to Greece, you are going to want to change those plans. Not only will all visitors (residents and citizens exempted) have to enter a quarantine of 14 days upon arrival, but this quarantine goes into effect today – March 16, 2020. In addition to that, all retail shops will close on Wednesday. Controls have already been placed on cafes and restaurants with only deliveries or takeout as options. Even then, no more than 2-5 customers can be inside at a time.
No Beaches, Shops, and More…
To take it even further for tourists that would love to start easing into the beach life in Greece, all “organized” beaches have now been closed also. This adds to things like museums and archeological sites being closed. So, apart from the Greek people themselves, the key reasons to visit Greece for many people – food, beaches, museums, historical sites – are now closed. This means that, for now, it is time to skip any travel to Greece.
But, don’t worry. Greece and all that is good about it will still be here when this gets under control and you can make up for lost time by just relaxing on any of the thousands of gorgeous Greek beaches then. For now, best to just stay in your home town.
Any idea why the beaches? Presumably, ocean water kills the virus or it would have spread through the oceans very quickly.
Because people kept congregating there when the weather turned nice instead of avoiding public gatherings like it had been advised.
Hi Charlie, how long is the quarantine in effect. I finally got a flight into Athens arriving 20 April. Thanks
No arriving 30 April