Greece to vaccinate islands by end of June to boost tourism

Greece has committed to fully vaccinating all residents on nearly 100 of its islands by the end of June in a bid to attract tourists this summer.

This is a change to its national jab programme which prioritises people based on their age and medical vulnerability to coronavirus.

Among the Greek islands which will be vaccinated by the end of June are Rhodes, Corfu, Zante, Kefalonia, Santorini and Mykonos.

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 is 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 is hoping it will be moved to the green tier when the list is reviewed on June 7.

That would mean travellers would not be required to self-isolate when they return home.

Travel list assessments are partly based on the proportion of people in a country or on an island who have received a coronavirus vaccine.

Greek tourism minister Haris Theoharis is visiting London this week to meet with Government officials and travel firms.