Catastrophe on Zakynthos: British tourists diagnosed with coronavirus after blow-out boat party

“I feel so stupid” were some of the only words to come out of a British tourists mouth after he and seven others were diagnosed with coronavirus.

Exclusive footage emerged from the Daily Mail of hundreds of British tourists crowded together on a boat, ignoring social distancing measures. Now, the worst possible senario has taken place, which involves eight of those party goers being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Jamie Raine tested positive after returning home from a four-day trip to Zakynthos. The 20-year-old, from Shildon in County Durham, is now self-isolating in his bedroom at home because he lives with his 77-year-old grandmother Maureen.

“It was stupid,” he told MailOnline. “It really wasn’t worth it – I feel dead guilty.

“It’s really bad out there. Something like this could start a second wave of coronavirus. I don’t think people should go.

“I guess the message is, don’t go on holiday and if you have to, have a more chilled out holiday with no night clubs.”

His advice is far too late however, with thousands of tourists still crowded on the Greek party islands of Zakynthos, Mykonos and Ios.

Jamie explains that while Greek authorities put new ‘no-standing’ rules in clubs, “there were people standing and the clubs were getting fined so they started shutting earlier.”

“It wasn’t that strict. The clubs were packed. People go to the beach afterwards because they want something to do and there are hundreds and hundreds of people.

“There was no enforcement, nothing. Looking back now I wish I’d been more careful.

“I didn’t think it was that bad over there, you didn’t have to quarantine, it looked as though there weren’t that many cases, so I thought it would be fine, but obviously not. It’s not safe.”

Hundreds of holidaymakers from Wales were told to quarantine after several groups returned from Zakynthos with the virus on a Tui flight to Cardiff on August 25.

Another 30 tourists from Plymouth were found to be infected after returning from Zakynthos in August.