Covid-19 vaccination certificate not prerequisite to travel to Greece this summer, says minister

If a coronavirus vaccination certificate is introduced at an EU-wide level, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suggested in a letter to the European Commission recently, it will not be a prerequisite for tourists to be allowed into Greece, Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis clarified on Thursday.

"Under no circumstance will it become a condition for someone to travel to our country," he told private broadcaster Skai, during a discussion on the government's preparation ahead of this year's summer season.

Theoharis said the prime minister's proposal was meant to "rock the boat" in order for the European Union to coordinate on this issue. He also said the vaccination certificate and the rapid antigen tests are fast, cheap and effective tools for the reopening of tourism.

The initial idea, he continued, is to test those who have not been vaccinated upon entry to...