Greek islands to vaccinate all residents by end of June to boost tourism
11 May 2021, 19:19 | Updated: 11 May 2021, 20:07
Greece plans to fully vaccinate all residents on nearly 100 of its islands by the end of June in a bid to attract tourists this summer.
The country is currently on the UK Government's amber list for travel, which means holidaymakers who visit from England must quarantine for 10 days when they return.
It hopes it will be moved to the green tier when the list is reviewed on 7 June, which would mean travellers would not be required to self-isolate when they return home.
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Travel list assessments are partly based on the proportion of people in a country or on an island who have received a coronavirus vaccine.
Among the Greek islands which will be vaccinated by the end of June are Rhodes, Corfu, Zante, Kefalonia, Santorini and Mykonos.
This is a change to its national jab programme which prioritises people based on their age and medical vulnerability to Covid-19.
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Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: "This initiative aims to support local communities, as well as their economies. My message is clear. We are open again.
"I am delighted that later this week Greece will begin to reopen its tourism industry.
"We are taking every precaution to ensure the safety and security of our visitors and our residents."
Greece will reopen for tourism on Saturday when it lifts a ban on people travelling between different regions.
The country's tourism minister Haris Theoharis is visiting London this week to meet with government officials and travel firms.
