In the wake of increased transmission of Covid-19 in the country due to Omicron, Greece has announced new measures for traveling by ferry on Wednesday.
According to the new rules, which apply to ferries on all routes, the unvaccinated must produce a negative PCR test result from within 72 hours of their trip, or a negative rapid test within 48 hours of their trip in order to board the ferry.
They can also prevent a document certifying that they have recovered from the coronavirus within the past 90 days.
Travel rules for ferries in Greece
All those who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus at least 14 days before traveling are allowed to board.
Travelers over sixty who were vaccinated over six months ago and have not yet received the booster shot must get the third dose before traveling.
Children aged four to 17 can board ferries in Greece with a negative self-test taken 24 hours before their trip.
Once on the ferry, all passengers must wear either two surgical masks or one high-protection mask, like an N95, FFP2, or KN95.
Coronavirus cases high in Greece; Omicron may dominate in Europe
Greece announced that a total of 32,694 new Covid-19 cases had been diagnosed around the country on Tuesday, while 80 people suffering with the coronavirus had passed away over the past 24 hours.
There had been a total of 85 coronavirus-related deaths in Greece on Monday; Tuesday’s total represented a decrease of five. A total of 27,766 Covid-19 cases had been diagnosed on Monday in Greece.
The number of admissions of new coronavirus patients to Greek hospitals on Tuesday came to 497, showing a significant daily decrease of -7.28%. The average number of admissions over the last seven days was 576 patients.
Meanwhile, there were 640 people on ventilators across Greece on Tuesday, showing a decrease of 14 from the day prior 654.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that more than half of Europe is expected to be infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the next two months.
Regional director Hans Kluge said at a press conference that Omicron is a “new west-to-east tidal wave sweeping across” Europe, and if infections hold their pace, over half of Europe will be infected within two months.
“At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME0) forecasts that more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks,” Kluge explained to the press.
The WHO includes 53 countries and territories in its categorization of Europe. Kluge explained on Tuesday that 50 of these 53 areas have confirmed cases of Omicron.
The WHO says that 26 of those countries and territories had reported that more than 1% of their populations were “catching COVID-19 each week.” The European region has had more than seven million new infections in the first week of 2022.
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