by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:26 PM ET, Thu May 21, 2020
Government officials in Greece announced Wednesday the country would open to foreign visitors on June 15.
According to BBC.com, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis revealed travelers arriving at popular destinations across the country would be subjected to coronavirus testing and government-mandated health protocols.
Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said Greece would provide a list before the end of May consisting of approved countries it would allow visitors from based on "epidemiological criteria" from health and safety experts.
Theoharis said the plan is to allow travelers from approved countries to arrive only through Athens International Airport starting on June 15 before expanding the order to all of Greece's other airports on July 1.
When it comes to determining which countries will be allowed to send visitors, Theoharis revealed the ongoing coronavirus numbers would impact the decision. Tourists arriving will not be subjected to a mandatory quarantine.
In the case of a potential viral outbreak in a region, the government is designating a doctor for each hotel and adding special quarantine areas and testing facilities on islands. The country has been on lockdown since March but has been heralded for its success containing the virus.
With an estimated 33 million visitors arriving in Greece last year, tourism has been devastated by the pandemic, and officials are excited to bring back an industry worth around 20 percent of the nation's GDP.
Several countries in the European Union are also beginning to remove travel restrictions in time for the summer holidays, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Ireland.
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