As it became known yesterday, a total of 85 of the 104 scheduled flights landed in Greece, with moderate occupancy in total, causing moderate optimism in the tourism industry.
In total, the arrivals came from Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Switzerland.
According to the health protocol, all the country's airports carried out the necessary checks, however, on each flight there was an average of 20 passengers who had not completed the flight passenger tracking form.
Based on a NOTAM issued by the Greek Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday, all passengers arriving in Greece must fill in a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at least 48 hours before they check in for their flight, providing information that will include their departure airport, the address where they will be staying and the expected duration of their stay in Greece, among others. The information on the form is a key element of the country’s planning for protection against the pandemic and preventing the spread of the virus.
The number of tests per flight:
- 2,500 in Athens
- 349 in Thessaloniki
- 586 in Rhodes
- 70 in Zakynthos
- 350 in Chania
- 3 in Skyros
- 324 in Kos
- 120 in Mykonos
- 6 in Karpathos
- 66 in Skiathos
- 76 in Aktio
- 810 in Heraklion
- 350 in Corfu
- 11 in Kefalonia
How the sampling was done
The health authorities of the airports conducted 5889 samples from passengers who were selected automatically by electronic systems.
The main criteria for the selection of testing passengers, is their country of origin and whether they show a "burdened" epidemiological picture in relation to coronavirus.
Passengers were informed that they were required to remain in solitary confinement for 24 hours at the residential address they had previously stated, until the test results were released.
It should be noted that the process of isolation in a hotel at the expense of the Greek state and for a 24-hour period is no longer valid.
What happens in each case?
If the test result is negative, the tourist will be free to travel without restrictions anywhere in the country.
However, if the result shows that they are coronavirus positive, then they must enter a 14-day quarantine based on the instructions they will receive from the National Agency for Public Health.
In this case, the cost (accommodation, meals, transportation and medical care) is covered by the Greek state.
If a traveler is diagnosed with coronavirus during their stay in Greece, the following procedure is followed:
If no treatment is needed (with or without mild symptoms), at the discretion of the doctor who examined them (hotel doctor, private doctor, hospital doctor or medical centre), they will remain in the quarantine hotel for 14 days.
If they need treatment, he/she is given full medical care in one of the country's hospitals.
Access to all medical services is provided free of charge to the traveler with coronavirus in case they do not have insurance coverage. In the case of travellers from EU Member States, all relevant expenses will be covered in accordance with EU regulations and guidelines.
