Greece With the worrying spread of the coronavirus variant, the country’s tourist season has reached a climax, and police forces have begun to be deployed to resort island hotspots.
Due to growing concerns about local entrepreneurs failing to comply with sanitation measures designed to contain the pandemic, the authorities have taken action to strengthen police forces on party islands such as Mykonos and Ios. Greek Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis told the Guardian: “The Delta variant means that every country is now dealing with the fourth wave, not as expected in November.” “Although the hotel And family-style venues are working hard to implement the agreement, but there is more congestion in bars than we would like to see, especially among young people…so we are trying to ensure a certain balance.”
In Mykonos alone, approximately 186 law enforcement officers were sent to Mykonos, and 56 law enforcement officers were stationed there at this time last year.
On Thursday, with the support of security officials and undercover agents, another 30 police officers were sent to the island of Ios, an 11-mile-long Cycladic archipelago that is popular with young tourists, with bars, discos, and rock-and-rolls. The club is very popular with young tourists.
Greece’s Deputy Civil Defense Minister Nikos Hardalias stated that Mykonos and Ios are “one step away” from the authorities’ implementation of further restrictions. Zakynthos, Tinos, Lefkada, Santori The situation in Ni, Paros and Rhodes is also worrying.
On Thursday, on the Covid map of the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the southern islands of the Aegean Sea in Greece were marked in dark red, which means that all travel except for necessary trips in and out of the area is discouraged. The cluster of 13 islands includes Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes.
The infection rate among people aged 20 to 30 has skyrocketed-in a country that has registered more than 485,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 13,000 Covid-19 deaths to date, most of the tests have been asymptomatic.Compared with other parts of Europe, the Greek holiday industry has performed relatively well within 10 weeks after becoming a popular destination Open, Hoteliers report a significant increase in bookings from Europe and Europe American tourists.
Since last year, the number of tourists in this tourism-dependent country has fallen by 75%, and the number of arrivals has soared by 130%-even if they are still pale after 2019 Greece Attracted a record 33.1 million people. Theoharis said last month’s tourism revenue “increased by more than 400% compared to June last year.”
“We have made up for some lost ground… Since July 19, about 140,000 tourists from the UK have flown in. Although there is still some way to go, they are flooding in. The UK is an important market.”
But with the highly disseminated Delta variants also in the ascendant, industry officials talked about “management unmanageable” because new challenges arise every day.
Earlier this month, the authorities were forced to impose a week-long curfew and music ban on Mykonos after the infection rate on Mykonos soared. On Wednesday, Civil Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochidois warned that it is only a matter of time before a similar blockade of Ios is imposed. “There is a clear danger now that the island will be closed,” he said, flying to Ios earlier in the day. “Fines have been imposed on companies that fail to comply with the law, and…very active and combative police are being dispatched to enforce the law and ensure the implementation of the measures.”
Tourism Minister Theoharis stated that Greece has promoted the island as “No Virus”After the country’s campaign to vaccinate the entire population before officially accepting tourists, a better season ushered in. “The small island is fuller than the big one,” he said.
According to epidemiologists, this week Greek health officials announced that 5 million people have been vaccinated, but herd immunity is still far from being achieved, but this is still a milestone. Theoharis said: “In terms of hospitalization and pressure on the health system, we saw a fourth wave, but there was no wave at all.” “The pattern of this disease has changed, which requires us to change our way of thinking about coping. .”
The tourism industry accounts for nearly 25% of Greece’s GDP, and one-fifth of its jobs depend on this industry. In June of this year, the Central Bank of Greece predicted that it would take two to three years for travel and spending to return to pre-pandemic levels, and stated that this year’s revenue is unlikely to exceed 40% of 2019, when industry revenue reached a record high of 18 billion euros.
Reuters contributed to this report
