Travelling to Greece became easier on Monday, with Athens no longer requiring a negative PCR or an antigen test from vaccinated individuals seeking to enter the country.
A valid EU vaccination certificate issued is now sufficient, the authorities announced.
Greece introduced the additional testing requirement for vaccinated travelers in December to curb the spread of coronavirus infections.
At the time, Athens’ unilateral move was criticized by other EU countries. Unvaccinated travelers still need a negative PCR test no more than 72 hours or a negative antigen rapid test no more than 24 hours old when entering the country.
This also applies to travelers whose vaccination certificate is no longer valid in their own country because they have not had a booster vaccination.
Travelers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or have recently recovered from infection will from Monday no longer have to provide evidence of a recent negative test when entering Portugal, as well.
Proof of full vaccination in accordance with European Union rules will suffice, following a decision taken last week by the government of Prime Minister António Costa.
Alternatively, a certificate showing the bearer has recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months will suffice. The previous regulation, imposed from Dec. 1, required all visitors to the popular tourist destination aged 12 and older to provide evidence of a recent test.
Lisbon imposed it on declaring a national emergency as case numbers soared.
The emergency will remain in force until at least March 22. It imposes a vaccinated, recovered or tested requirement for all those entering hotels, restaurants and other facilities.
Despite a high vaccination rate, Portugal remains a coronavirus hotspot, with the seven-day incidence rate for new infections measured recently at more than 2,800 per 100,000 residents. The comparative rate for Spain is 824.
Meanwhile, Israel has virtually dropped a rule requiring people to show documents to prove their vaccination status, despite record numbers of severely ill patients suffering from Covid-19.
As of Monday, people will only have to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered by showing their “green passport” when attending major events such as weddings. That means anyone can go to a restaurant, cinema or hotel without having to show the document or proof that they have tested negative for the coronavirus.
The rule change also means that when people leave Israel, unvaccinated people will no longer have to show they have tested negative for the virus.
The easing comes despite the fact that more than 1,200 people are in hospital with a Covid-19 infection, the highest number since the pandemic began in the country of 9.4 million.
According to the Health Ministry, 1,235 patients are seriously unwell. However, the wave of the Omicron strain of the virus peaked around two weeks ago.
Some 52,600 new cases were reported on Monday, significantly fewer than earlier spikes of 85,000 in the space of a day.
Source: MIA
