So I started a discussion yesterday before seeing this one, but for Tui UK customers hoping to fly to Thassos in July, it doesn’t look like it’s happening although when I enquired with the hotel I’m due to stay at this morning they advised all their bookings with Tui were valid! I should add Simon Calder (travel expert here in the UK) said Tui would only be flying to Corfu, Crete, Kos and Rhodes in July. Along with some countries in Spain. And Tui’s latest update seems to back him up.
I really hope Tui manage to make it out to Thassos some time this season. Would even rebook for a later date.
Hi Augie,
Mostly yes, thank you! We decided to go, our only concern is what happens when another guest will be diagnosed as positive. How this will affect us. Will the hotel go under quarantine? Will the gests be tested? Thanks.
Very strange if that is the OLIVIA Appartments I know. They are decent people. Let me know their tel. No, and their name and I will contact them on your behalf.
I just phoned Mr. Giorgos Augoustinas (the owner of Olvia Apartments in Skala Potamia) and I spoke with him on your behalf. I explained to him what you have written here on the forum and he replied that he didn’t receive your email or phone call. I asked him to check his spam folder in case your email went there.
He said that he understands the difficult situation for Moldovans due to the borders being closed in June 2020 so he’s ready to change your booking to later this year or 2021. You only need to contact him.
Can you please send Mr. Giorgos a new email and then let me know when you get a reply from him?
No, the entire hotel will not automatically go under quarantine if another guest is found to be covid-19 positive. The guest will be immediately isolated and everybody who is with this guest will also be isolated for one day until their test results come back.
Hotels are required to follow strict “Health First” safety protocols which are designed to minimize the chances of one guest spreading to other guests. This way, if a positive case is discovered, the Greek authorities’ can respond with a targeted approach using the track-and-trace method. They hope it won’t be necessary to quarantine the entire hotel. Take a look here at how positive cases will be managed. There is a link to a page (in Greek) that describes the process in great detail.
If a hotel and its guests don’t follow the protocols and the virus spreads uncontrollably, only then would the authorities have reason to quarantine the entire hotel but this can be avoided if everyone does their part and follows basic hygiene and social distancing rules.
Hi,
Does anyone have any idea when flights to Kavala airport from the UK may be starting up again? We’re booked with Tui for early August but there’s been no news on whether this will happen. It seems that they’re certainly not flying there in July so it’s not looking too good.
Thank!
@nafep Anthony one of the other administrators has heard from the Tui Thassos office and there will be no flights from the UK to Kavala, so Tui will not be going to Thassos this year. We we’re going in September so we’re gutted! Maybe worth trying to change your holiday to one of the few islands Tui are planning to fly to in July…
Thanks for the response @sjr1991 - I was worried that might be the case as you can no longer book any Tui holidays for Thassos before May2021. Still, I’m a bit annoyed that Tui have not cancelled our holiday if this is the case and are still leading us on by implying that it could go ahead. Surely they already know that it’s not going to happen if there are no flights and should be cancelling it!!!
It suggests to me that it is purely a financial decision not to fly to Kavala this year rather than a direct Covid related issue.
Oh well, I’ll wait to see what they have to say when they eventually let us know it’s cancelled.
Thanks again for the response - much appreciated!
From what the CEO said on the tv I think it’s some what financial due to Covid. They are choosing the most popular destinations and by the time they start reviewing and adding on for August I suppose it is t viable for them to bother with what would be essentially 6 ish flights. They have stopped selling thassos for this year, I spoke to Hays who I booked with and they said they will be telling people in blocks so that not everyone is trying to claim their money in one go. I suppose from a business perspective it makes sense it’s just frustrating for us.
I’ve decided I will be booking for next year as soon as the foreign office change their advice, I’ve since found out that if you book a holiday when the foreign office are saying it’s not safe to travel then even if that’s changed by the time you go your insurance company can use the fact you booked it when advised against travel as a reason to not cover you for any claim no matter what your claiming for ie illness.
That is some very useful knowledge, thank you so much for sharing!
Where did you learn that the insurance companies refuse to cover any claims if the travel insurance was taken out while the foreign office advises against traveling? Did an insurance company tell you this? Would they continue selling insurance to people knowing this would be the outcome?
I am sorry that I could not show the picture to Vangelis.
Flisvos was not open while I was there.
Just some repair works just before I left.
What happened to that car in the end?
Hi Augie, it was someone who works in insurance, but today I spoke to Hays travel and they said two things. Firstly there’s a talk that the foreign office will be changing advice next week or week after. Secondly she believes that I have been told wrong and that as long as at the time of travel there is no travel advice against going we’re fine. So that’s a much better situation. I don’t normally share half hearsay stories but since it was someone who works in insurance I thought they would know.
Hi Augie,
We are a family 2 adults + 3 minor children. We booked holiday in Thassos starting with 5 of. July. Regarding the passenger locator form we must fill in before entering Greece I do not know if also the minor children must complete it. Do you know where I can find an official information about this? We are a little concern about the screening procedure cause we come from Romania that according to our official data is in the yellow Covid list. In the district where we came from (Timis) we have few infection cases daily (something between 0-3 for 700k population) but overall Romania has not a good average value. Do you know if for decision of testing or not, the Greek authorities take also in consideration the district or the whole country? Not to be understood, I have nothing against testing but I am afraid of false positive tests that can ruin our entire holiday. Right now we are not sure if to cancel our reservation or not.
Thank you!
I just called the Greek Civil Protection Ministry (+30 210 335 9002) for clarifications and they confirmed that every person must have a completed Passenger Locator Form regardless of their age. This applies to even babies, so parents must complete this form for every member of their family.
In regards to your second question about sample testing at the Greek borders, I’m not certain if they use regional epidemiological data to decide who to test at the border or if it’s completely random.
What I do know is that Greece does molecular testing which is highly accurate and done at a lab by a medical technician. It is the most accurate testing method that exists today. They do not use the fast tests that have a horrible track record of being inaccurate. The Greek tests take up to 24 hours to be processed which is why visitors who are selected to be tested at the border are allowed to continue to their final destination immediately but are then required to stay at their accommodation pending the test results. If the results come back negative then they are free to enjoy their vacation immediately. If it comes back positive, they will be accommodated in a special quarantine hotel on Thassos where they will spend 14 days. The Greek state will cover the costs.
Please remember that our biggest priority is the safety of you and your family! We want you to have a wonderful holiday with the least amount of hassle and inconvenience. There will be a slight inconvenience for the very few people who are randomly selected for testing at the border but this is important in order for the authorities to keep Greece safe for everyone.
hi Augie, there is a rumour, that everybody going to greece will need to fill in a passenger location form on their Mobile which will then be transferred into a QR-code. is there anything in it or can we just turn up with our printed out forms?
although when I enquired with the hotel I’m due to stay at this morning they advised all their bookings with Tui were valid! I should add Simon Calder (travel expert here in the UK) said Tui would only be flying to Corfu, Crete, Kos and Rhodes in July. Along with some countries in Spain. And Tui’s latest update seems to back him up.
