Visas

Late in the evening on May 21, Bulgaria's Minister of Health, Kiril Ananiev, issued an order allowing representatives of firms and companies registered in the EU and the Schengen area to enter Bulgaria without the requirement for 14-day quarantine as of tomorrow, May 22.

The lifting of the ban also covers San Marino, the Principality of Andorra, Monaco and Vatican City State.

Many hotel groups in Greece are ready to reopen some of their seasonal units as soon as the government completes the operation protocols for protection from Covid-19. At the same time year-round hotels are gearing up to start accepting guests again on June 1.

The government has decided to open Greek borders for tourists from the European Union, the Schengen area and Israel by July 1 at the latest, but possibly even earlier, from mid-June, Kathimerini understands. 

The relevant announcements are expected on Wednesday or Thursday, along with the unveiling of the government's plan to support the tourist industry.

The Government of Conte seeks to save the tourist season and brings the arrival of Phase 3 two weeks ahead with the opening of bars, restaurants, beaches, and hairdressers.

Italy will reopen to European tourists from early June and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on May 16, as it quickened the exit from the coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte enforced an economically crippling shut down in early March to counter a pandemic that has so far killed more than 31,500 people in Italy.

The German "Land" of North Rhine-Westphalia has lifted quarantine for citizens of the European Union (EU) as well as associated countries of the Schengen area that enter Germany through its territory .

The government is on Friday expected to announce guidelines for health and safety precautions on transport in Greece ahead of the further lifting of restrictions on movement from next week.

It is expected that the use of masks will be compulsory on air transport, as it is on trains and buses.

Restoring the free movement of people in Europe and opening internal borders is crucial to rescue the 2020 summer season. Tens of millions of jobs and family livelihoods are at stake as the coronavirus threatens to fatally damage the tourism sector.

The European Commission on May 8 proposed extending restrictions on travel to the EU until June 15.

EU countries in mid-March adopted restrictions on non-EU nationals entering bloc territory in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, and extended the ban in April.

The European Union (EU) executive on Friday backed keeping curbs on travel to the continent in place for another 30 days until mid-June as part of extraordinary measures to limit the spread of coronavirus but also hurting trade and tourism.