Greece and Cyprus eased Covid restrictions on Wednesday, just in time for their busy summer tourism seasons.
Both modified their mask requirements for public transportation in cities, senior homes, and hospitals, but kept them in place for public transportation in cities, retirement homes, and hospitals.
The government of Cyprus agreed last week to eliminate all airport restrictions ahead of the scorching summer season on the Mediterranean island’s tourism-dependent economy.
Travellers heading there are no longer required to show a certificate of vaccination or recovery or to take a PCR test.
Greece has already suspended compulsory Covid tests for travellers arriving with a European vaccination certificate.
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But health experts there are still considering whether to relax mask restrictions on taxis and the boats connecting the mainland to the islands.
On Wednesday, Greek Transport Minister Thanos Plevris said masks were no longer required on planes and for inter-city coach travel, state broadcaster ERT reported.
Tourism makes up nearly a quarter of Greece’s gross domestic product and the government in Athens has been gradually relaxing Covid-related restrictions since February.
Cypriot Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said air passenger traffic in May reached 77 percent of the figure for the same month in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, with an average of 30,000 passengers a day.
In comparison to 2019, when 3.97 million visitors visited the island, there was a 51 percent reduction in tourists last year.
Tourism accounts for over 15% of the island’s gross domestic GDP.
Covid has claimed the lives of around 29,800 people in Greece, and 1,059 people in Cyprus.
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