Greece extends travel restrictions amid COVID-19

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - Greece extended its restrictions on domestic and international travelers, the Civil Aviation Authority announced on Monday in an aim to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

The restrictions will be extended until Dec. 7 for domestic flights and until Dec. 14 for international flights, the aviation authority said.

Slight exceptions will be allowed on domestic flights for passengers traveling for health, family or work related reasons, in addition to passengers returning to their main residence area.

All flights between Greece and Turkey, as well as Catalonia in Spain have been banned, while anyone arriving from Albania and North Macedonia will only be allowed to enter the country through Athens International Airport.

A ban on arrivals from non-EU countries is still in place with the exception of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay.

US and Canadian citizens are also included in the ban list.

A negative COVID-19 PCR test will be required at least 72 hours prior to the travel for all passengers arriving by air from foreign countries.

The measure also applies to Greek citizens, holders of permanent residency in Greece, and other essential travelers.

Meanwhile, Greek authorities on Sunday recorded 98 deaths bringing the country's total fatalities to 2,321.

The number of new infections was slightly down with 1,193 new infections compared to 1,747 on Saturday and 2,013 on Friday.

Total infections now stand at 104,227 and there are 603 intubated patients.