Several Greek Islands May Face New Restrictions – Be Aware!

Millions of tourists have already descended on the nation of Greece. Many of these tourists head straight for popular islands like Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Zakynthos and others. These vacations are, for many, a once-in-a-lifetime experience due to the cost in summer. With last year a summer lost for many, people from many nations have tried to make up this year. But, some new restrictions could be coming.

Several Greek Islands May Face New Restrictions

How to Fill Out the Greek PLF (Passenger Locator Form)

Link: Information from the Greek Government Regarding Covid-19

If you have plans to go to any of the islands listed below (or, really, any Greek islands), you should be aware that August is a month to watch what goes on. Mykonos already had a two week period of restrictions put in place but now it and others could face restrictions again as the numbers of covid cases continue to climb.

On two islands, Mykonos and Ios, the Greek government said that 46% of the Covid cases on the islands, as of last week, were employees of clubs, restaurants, and hotels. It had been said back in March that the first group of people the government wanted to see vaccinated – after those who were considered the most vulnerable – was the over 700,000 workers in the tourism industry. However, not all of them rushed to get the vaccine, in spite of the 18-25 age demographic being told they would receive a €150 euro card for travel and cultural experiences.

Of course, this does not mean that all those 46% of cases were due to unvaccinated people. With the new Delta variant, among others, even vaccinated people are testing positive at times. With Greece long having a firm policy of not requiring vaccines for those entering the country, they certainly do want their frontline tourism workers to have been vaccinated or at least tested on a regular basis (the requirement for weekly resting for vaccinated workers ended July 1).

What Could the Possible Restrictions Be?

So, the latest news from last week is that new restrictions that may be put in place on these islands would be similar to the ones Mykonos experienced a couple of weeks ago. That means a curfew and a ban on music in bars, cafes, and restaurants. Of course, there could be other restrictions that are applied locally as well but for people visiting these islands and looking for the whole Greek island experience, you may want to keep this in mind if you plan on visiting any of the Greek islands below.

The list of islands the government is keeping their eye on as case numbers climb includes:

• Ios
• Mykonos
• Santorini
• Paros
• Lefkada
• Tinos
• Zakynthos
• Rhodes

If any of those islands are on your itinerary in the next month, make sure you keep an ear tuned to the news coming out of Greece to decide what restrictions – if any – may be in place for your upcoming trip. Also, if you are traveling to the islands from the mainland, keep in mind that (at least until August 9 for air travel) both passengers on ferries (you must fill out this form here) and airplanes must have one of the following – a) a certificate of vaccination for Covid-19 b) a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before or a rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours before or c) a certificate of recovery that shows you had a positive test and recovered within the last 30-180 days.