As Greece reopens to tourists, how about other EU countries?

The safety of tourists is a top priority for Greece as it opens its airports to foreign visitors, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday on a visit to the popular holiday island of Santorini.

After a nearly three-month lockdown, the coordinated opening of the country is happening gradually.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the archaeological museum of Santorini, following the easing of measures against the coronavirus disease on Friday. /Reuters

International flights to and from the country's main airports will resume on June 15.

From Monday, visitors arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union's aviation safety agency EASA will be tested and be quarantined up to 14 days, depending on test results.

The country will also randomly conduct coronavirus tests on passengers arriving from all other airports.

Tourism, which accounts for about 20% of Greece's economic output, is vital for the Mediterranean nation, which emerged from a decade-long debt crisis in 2018.

About 33 million tourists visited Greece last year, generating revenues of 19 billion euros.

Greece has boosted the number of medical staff on its popular islands. Mitsotakis, wearing a surgical mask, also visited health facilities and doctors on Santorini. /Reuters

Restrictions on movement imposed in March helped Greece contain the spread of COVID-19 infections to just above 3,000 cases, a relatively low number compared with elsewhere in the European Union. But it brought its business and tourism sector to a virtual standstill and the country now expects its economy to shrink by up to 13 percent this year.

Besides Greece, other member countries of the EU have lifted their all internal and intercontinental border-crossing bans.

Borders of Italy reopened to EU countries and the UK on June 3. In contrast, Spain has imposed a 14-day quarantine on arrivals until July 1 and Germany has extended its ban to nations outside Europe until August 31, according to the Telegraph.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the town of Fira on the island of Santorini on Friday. /Reuters

Not all countries are ready to reopen their borders to EU travelers next week. Denmark only plans to open borders with Germany, Iceland and Norway, writes Euronews.

The EU has recommended the lifting of travel bans for Albania, Bosnia. Serbia, Euronews reported.

"Countries are not required to follow the European Union advice and some – including British summer holiday favorites – are taking a different approach," writes The Telegraph.

(With input from agencies)