No travel restrictions for Chinese arrivals in Greece and Switzerland

Source: Schengen Visa Info

Greece and Switzerland will not impose travel restrictions for arrivals from China despite the current COVID-19 situation on the latter.

China has recently seen a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections, which has led the authorities in other countries to reconsider the possibility of reintroducing preventive measures in order to prevent another increase in the number of infections, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

However, Greece’s National Public Health Organization (EODY) has confirmed that the Hellenic Republic has no intention of re-imposing restrictions for travelers from China, due to the Coronavirus situation in China.

“Our country will not impose restrictive measures for international movements, in accordance with the recommendations of international organizations and the EU,” EOYD stressed in a press release.

Authorities in Greece have said that they will continue to protect public health and remain vigilant, while the European Union continues to monitor the developments closely.

Previously officials in China announced that they would lift international travel restrictions this month, while arrivals from China to European Union countries are also expected.

In addition, previously, Air China initiated a new direct flight between Shanghai and Greece’s capital Athens, at Athens International Airport (AIA).

Authorities in Switzerland also confirmed that they have no plans to tighten travel restrictions on passengers from China, despite the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, following China’s decision to abolish all the restrictions for international arrivals.

“It is not currently necessary to provide proof of vaccination, recovery from Covid-19 or a (negative) test to enter Switzerland. There are no plans for the moment to introduce health measures at the border either,” a Swiss health ministry spokesman pointed out in this regard, according to an AFP report.

German leaders also said that they would not introduce additional preventive measures for arrivals from China.

However, some other European countries, such as Italy, France and Spain, didn’t share the same opinion as Greece and Switzerland and Germany. Besides, authorities from these three countries decided to impose a mandatory COVID-19 test on arrivals from China.

The government of the United Kingdom also announced that Chinese citizens are subject to mandatory COVID-19 tests when planning to enter this territory.

Introducing compulsory screenings for passengers from China was considered unjustified by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Recently, in a meeting held regarding the epidemiological situation in China, scientists advising the World Health Organization (WHO) said that they wanted a more realistic picture of the Coronavirus situation from top experts from China.