Greece in talks with UK to allow holidays with vaccine passports

·

Greece is in “technical” talks with the UK over allowing Britons carrying a vaccine passport to travel to its tourist hotspots from May, Greece’s Tourism Minister, Haris Theoharis, has announced in the British media.

This news comes despite concerns in Brussels and other European Union countries.

According to The Guardian, Mr Theoharis said he hoped to “dovetail” with Boris Johnson’s roadmap for allowing Britons to travel, but refused to be drawn on whether Greece would break with Brussels to establish the scheme.

Non-essential travel into the EU is currently largely prohibited. All the leaders of the EU’s 27-member states will say on Thursday that “for the time being” the restrictions need to remain, according to a draft statement.

But Mr Theoharis has confirmed to The Guardian that Anglo-Greek technical teams were working on how a certificate system could facilitate the resumption of mass travel and what format it would take.

“We’ll try to dovetail with the plan that has been announced in the UK,” Mr Theoharis told The Guardian.

“A date of May 17 has been set and we certainly want to be ready by then. The roadmap was a very, very good move by the UK government… planning is a pre-requisite for the travel industry.”

Ekathimerini reports that EU leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss certificates of vaccination for EU citizens who have had an anti-COVID shot, with countries such as Greece and Spain leading the push.

Other countries, such as France and Germany, appear more reluctant to adopt a vaccination certificate however, as officials there say it could create de-facto vaccination obligation and would be discriminatory to those who cannot or will not take a jab.

Mr Theoharis said his government would continue to push for swifter agreement on vaccine passports at the EU level, given the desperate need within countries dependent on tourism to be open to visitors.

“All we are saying is that with this system we’d be instituting two lanes in airports as it were,” Mr Theoharis said.

“The vaccination lane and the non-vaccination lane which would facilitate travel quite a bit. We have to move fast.”

Mr Theoharis went on to address a number of misconceptions around the vaccine, before stressing that “what [Greece] will be bringing to the table is [our conviction] that the certificate is a prerequisite if we are to start travelling with some kind of confidence.”

“There are a number of misconceptions around the certificate, the first being that it would be discriminatory. It’s not, because it’s just an alternative to negative testing,” Mr Theoharis said.

“The idea that it breaches privacy laws is also wrong because, if you prefer, you can travel as if you are not vaccinated and always get tested. A certificate simply allows somebody to travel without needing to test all the time. In that sense it’s hassle- free and cost-efficient.

“And on the health front there is greater probability a vaccinated person has fewer chances of spreading the disease than someone who is negative at some point in time.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Experts share how travel to Greek islands will be impacted by seismic activity

As a swarm of earthquakes continues to rattle the Aegean Sea, the Greek government has declared a state of emergency on four islands.

Tzannes to design $500 million luxury apartment tower in Edgecliff

Lendlease has revealed its plans for its first luxury apartment tower, a $500 million One Darling Point project in Edgecliff.

St George Basketball and Apollon Patras (Greece) announce sister club collaboration

The St. George Basketball Association has announced a groundbreaking sister club partnership with Apollon Patras Sports Club from Greece.

MANASIS to bring Greek culture back to Moomba Parade after 30 years

On March 10, the MANASIS School of Greek Dance will create another milestone in its history, through participating in Moomba Festival Parade.

Jayden Spakianos sentenced for stabbing commuter in drug-induced attack

A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to up to five years in prison for stabbing an innocent commuter during a drug-induced paranoid episode.

You May Also Like

F-16 jets relocated as wildfires cause explosion at ammunition depot in Greece

Strong winds caused a wildfire to set off explosions at an air force ammunition depot in central Greece, on Thursday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas calls on people to ‘show responsibility’ in new Greek government ad

As the second wave of COVID-19 comes to Greece, Stefanos Tsitsipas urges people to be responsible to be better protected from the virus.

Xyrakis family celebrate 60 years of running IGA supermarket in Canberra

This month, the Xyrakis family will celebrate 60 years of owning the IGA supermarket in Ainslie, Canberra.