Major rule change at popular holiday hotspot comes into force this WEEK

A MAJOR rule change at a popular tourist destination with Brits comes into force this week which could mean your holiday plans are affected.

Officials in Greece have agreed that tourists who get infected with Covid-19 while in the country will not be required to go into quarantine.

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The country’s ministers of tourism, health and economy for the operation of tourism businesses said there will be no more quarantine rooms at hotels.

The ruling means that travellers who get infected with the virus will no longer be required to meet self-isolation rules while in Greece.

As well, the current rule that required everyone infected with the virus to remain in quarantine for five days does not apply to travellers.

Under the new protocol, travellers in Greece will be able to choose if they want to remain in self-isolation for the remaining time they are in the country.

Tourists who have contracted Covid-19 will also be able to use ferries, planes and other forms of transport.

However, they must wear and FFP2 or KN95 mask the entire time.

While this may be good news for many Brits wanting a break in the European country, it could cause concern for those who are deemed to be vulnerable and have a weakened immune system.

Greece lifted all of its Covid-related entry restrictions in May, allowing all travellers, regardless of their country of origin to have restriction-free entry.

However, potential visitors have been warned that while people no longer require a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate, the authorities may soon advise everyone to wear a face mask when attending different indoor public settings as the Covid infection cases have been increasing in the last couple of weeks.

Over the last seven days, figures from the World Health Organisation show that Greece reported 113,373 new cases and 150 deaths.

The Greek Minister of Tourism, Vasilis Kikilias, said that the country’s tourism sector is expected to boost the GDP growth this year.

He added that the number of arrivals keeps on rising in several of its popular destinations.

The increase in tourists visiting Greece has also been reported by a World Travel Market survey.

The survey revealed that six of the top ten European destinations that registered the highest increase compared to 2019 are in Greece.

It comes after continued warnings about travel chaos this summer.

Holiday plans for 1.5million easyJet customers are set to be cancelled this summer with the airline reportedly planning to cut 10,000 flights.

The cancellations – which are likely to include flights to holiday hotspots like Greece and Spain – will reportedly take place during July, August and September.

EasyJet has already cancelled 600 flights this month, along with all flights to Hurghada in Egypt.

And with Gatwick reducing their daily flights, 4,000 routes are being affected.

Johan Lundgren, easyJet chief executive, said it is still working through precisely how many flights would be affected.