Greece Relaxes Some Traveler Restrictions, Despite Criticism from Health Officials 

ATHENS - Greece has lifted quarantine restrictions for travelers from the United States and a number of other countries as it prepares to reopen tourism services next month. But with the COVID pandemic still raging across the country and cases once again rising in parts of the United States, critics worry the Greek government may be acting too quickly.

Greece’s new measures were effective immediately after they were announced Monday.  It is the first time U.S., British and EU travelers are allowed to visit this sun-kissed nation and its white-washed islands without quarantine requirements since March 2020 when the global pandemic brought international travel to a grinding halt. Travelers from Israel, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, as well as all European Union member states nationals will be allowed to vacation here, bypassing strict seven-day quarantine rules on the condition that they have either been vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested negative 72 hours before their arrival here. The move makes Greece one of the first major European destinations to reopen to tourists ahead of the summer season -- a crucial head start the country wants in its bid to secure a sizeable slice of the travel market, to boost its battered tourism industry.