Greece welcomes the first Czech tourists. The planes are full, watch out for drapes and pens

Another surprise is already happening at Václav Havel Airport. Veils are mandatory throughout the building. Why a surprise? After all, until recently we wore veils almost everywhere. At Ruzyně Airport, however, restrictions apply even after 1 July, when they are mandatory only selectively. And definitely don’t forget to pack your veils for your holiday, because you will need them elsewhere than at Prague Airport. For example, in an airplane, where otherwise there are no major restrictions. Not even when using the toilet, as many thought.

“You can use the toilets as needed. You just have to follow the standard spacing. And it would be ideal if not many queues were formed, ”the steward tells me when asked, who preferred to check the information with the cabin management. Everything is professional, people are considerate and queues do not form. After all, it’s not even three hours from Prague to Crete, so it can be endured.

The postponed summer season finally starts here on July 1st. “People were looking forward to the holiday. We started selling canceled tours as soon as the Czech government published the so-called traffic lights for traveling around the European Union. The clients’ reaction was immediate and people started exchanging vouchers for new tours, ”says a spokesman for Fischer. And this is also confirmed by the occupancy of the SmartWings aircraft, where there is practically no single vacancy.

Take a pen

“The cancellation of the original tours that people bought before the covid-19 pandemic broke out is now clearly the right move. Thanks to this, at the beginning of June we included in the new offer only those hotels that were highly likely to actually open, “says Exim Tours spokesman Petr Kostka.

One practical piece of advice for the flight itself: take a pen with you. Also on the plane, flight attendants and stewards will give you another questionnaire, in which you will have to fill in standard data, such as nationality, contact, place of permanent residence and also the address of the hotel where you will spend your holiday.

Although Greece and the Czechia are among the so-called safe countries and travel between them is to take place almost without restrictions, a test for covid-19 can await you at the airport. The selection of people to be tested is random, according to Jannis Papadakis from the local travel agency, the various stakeholders are working to make testing as easy and as burdensome as possible for tourists.

In addition, you may receive an English-language text message upon arrival. Although it contains words like covid-19 or self-quarantine, don’t worry, it’s not related to the test. They simply warn you that you can be tested and that you can go to a one-day quarantine. Paradoxically, an SMS message may not come to you until you have passed the test.

Upon arrival at the hotel, you will be able to put away the veils. Although staff, like elsewhere, consistently wear veils or even shields, tourists do not have to wear them. “It’s up to them,” the hotel receptionist tells me. However, this does not mean that security measures are somehow ignored here. On the contrary. On the ground you will find signs indicating two meters apart, everything is carefully disinfected, including sunbeds on the beach. Restrictions can also be expected with food, during which the popular buffets can be replaced by a more classic ordering and serving system in our country.

Important information

1. Before traveling to Greece, don’t forget to fill in the questionnaire for local authorities. The travel guide will help you with that.

2. Be sure to take veils. They are mandatory at airports, on airplanes and may also be mandatory at some monuments.

3. You will also complete one questionnaire on the plane. It’s good to have a pen with you.

4. At an airport in Greece, you may be selected to test for covid-19. The selection is random.

5. Keep spacings of two meters everywhere. This also applies to places where there are otherwise no seeming restrictions.

6. Be considerate. Remember that a few weeks ago, it looked like a holiday abroad would be more sci-fi this year.

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