Greek authorities have stepped up controls at the country’s ports this week after a new spike in COVID-19 cases linked to the Delta variant was reported on some of the country’s popular islands.
During his visit to the port of Piraeus on Friday, Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Ioannis Plakiotakis urged people to get vaccinated and thereby win the war against the pandemic.
“Everything will depend on the course of the vaccination program. We urge people to get vaccinated,” the minister told journalists.
Currently, the number of travelers boarding vessels across Greece equals about 60 percent of the flow registered in 2019, he said, stressing that the authorities’ top priority is the safety of the visitors and the locals.