Greece changes mandatory PCR test for all travelers to “72 hours”

Greek government spokesman Yiannis Ikonomou said on Thursday that the PCR test for all travelers from abroad will be limited to 72 hours. This statement created confusion, since less than 12 hours earlier, the Ministry of Health announcedthat the PCR test should be performed no more than 48 hours before planting.

The Greek Ministry of Health announced Wednesday night that all travelers from overseas will have to show a mandatory negative PCR test.

At a regular briefing on Thursday, Ikonoma called “an emergency measure for all Greek and non-Greek travelers who return to the country and stay abroad for more than 48 hours to have a negative PCR test for a period not exceeding 72 hours.”

He added that this measure will be in effect during the holidays and was taken in order to delay the spread of strain Omicronand also save time to increase vaccination coverage.

Iconomu added that “there will be official announcements in due course, on a weekly basis.”

There was no official press release about the change, but TV channels explained that 72 Hours was not a reservation, as many thought, but a change to give travelers more time to plan.

So far, no other changes in the time of application of the measure or any other changes have been reported.

Citing government sources, state broadcaster ERT reported at 3:00 pm on Thursday that the PCR test for travelers is “a temporary measure for the Christmas period.”

As we are still awaiting an official statement with details, or at least the air directive (notam) of the Greek Civil Aviation Authority, please read that we wrote on Wednesday night based on the announcement by the Ministry of Health:

The Greek Ministry of Health announced Wednesday night that all travelers from overseas will have to show a mandatory negative PCR test.

This measure affects all who enter, regardless of whether they are vaccinated against Covid-19 or not, and from which country they came. The only exception is for travelers who have been in another country for less than 48 hours. The PCR test must be performed 48 hours before entry. The measure goes into effect at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, December 19, 2021.

V press release The Greek Ministry of Health says the measure is being carried out in the context of efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. Before distributing it to travelers from all countries, the Ministry of Health, as reportedly announced that the mandatory PCR test will only be performed on travelers from the UK and Denmark. An hour later, the ministry decided to apply this measure to those arriving from all countries.

Greece appears to have followed the example of Italy, which decided to introduce the same mandatory PCR test the day before. Governments appear to be intimidated by the Omicron option, and Greece was one of the first to take action.

According to the latest data media, in the country, 5 more cases suspected of the Omicron variant were identified, as a result of which the total number of infections with the new strain reached ten.

Despite the recent stabilization of new infections, the number deaths and intubations associated with Covid, remains alarmingly high.

This measure affects all who enter, regardless of whether they are vaccinated against Covid-19 or not, and from which country they came. The only exception is for travelers who have been in another country for less than 48 hours. The PCR test must be performed 48 hours before entry. The measure goes into effect at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, December 19, 2021.

V press release The Greek Ministry of Health says the measure is being carried out in the context of efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. Before distributing it to travelers from all countries, the Ministry of Health, as reportedly announced that the mandatory PCR test will only be performed on travelers from the UK and Denmark. An hour later, the ministry decided to apply this measure to those arriving from all countries.

Greece appears to have followed the example of Italy, which decided to introduce the same mandatory PCR test the day before. Governments appear to be intimidated by the Omicron option, and Greece was one of the first to take action.

According to the latest data media, in the country, 5 more cases suspected of the Omicron variant were identified, as a result of which the total number of infections with the new strain reached ten.

Despite the recent stabilization of new infections, the number deaths and intubations associated with Covid, remains alarmingly high.

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