Italy, which will open its international borders on June 3, warned Monday it will keep it closed to countries that impose restrictions on access for Italian citizens because of the reciprocity principle. Last Friday, the Greek government announced a first group of 29 countries whose citizens will be able to fly indefinitely to Athens and Thessaloniki airports, including Italy and Portugal, from 15 June.

“We don't want to cause controversy, but if someone plans to close the door on us just because of their own interests, we will have to respond. We believe in the European spirit, but we are willing to close the borders to those who do not respect us, "said Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

It was later clarified that, based on information from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), citizens from areas considered to be “at risk” can visit Greece but have to be quarantined for XNUMX or XNUMX days depending on whether the test is negative or positive for coronavirus infection.

passengers from quarantined risk areas

In Italy, the areas considered “at risk” are the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Piemonte and Veneto. Passengers are tested on arrival and if they show negative results for the infection, they are quarantined for seven days. If the test is positive, that is, if travelers are shown to be infected with covid-19, the quarantine is 14 days.

The action caused outrage in Veneto, a region which, despite its proximity to the areas most affected by the pandemic in the country, successfully controlled the spread of the coronavirus.

Also read: Slovakia, of course, looks forward to opening its borders