Greek islands plan to be 'COVID-free' by mid-June to tempt tourists
With the continuing uncertainty of travel restrictions, many have already resigned themselves to a summer without a sunny holiday abroad.
But the Greek islands are trying their utmost to tempt tourists back this year by going "COVID-free".
They have been prioritising the vaccination of all local residents – including summer workers – to render destinations like Santorini, Mykonos and Milos as safe to visit as possible.
They hope "Operation Blue Freedom" will be completed by mid-June, opening up the possibility that the islands could be added to the UK's "green list".
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Currently, countries on the green list include Gibraltar, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, as well as several small remote islands that are British Overseas Territories – but not Portugal, which was last week moved on to the amber list.
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Greece as a whole is on the "amber" list at present, but hopes its fortunes will soon change.
Last year, the country welcomed just 25% of its normal visitors – affecting businesses that rely heavily on tourism.
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The destination is usually hugely popular with British holidaymakers: before the pandemic, more than 3 million visits were made each year, according to the Foreign Office.
Despite the progress, however, some islanders are concerned that – even with full vaccination – there is the possibility of more transmissible COVID-19 variants being flown in.
Speaking to the BBC, Dr Morfo Valla, head of Milos Health Centre, warned that having 25,000 people flown in during July and August is a "very different" situation from vaccinating 5,000 local residents.
Many, though, will be keeping a keen eye on the changing situation – and their passports close at hand.
Watch: Tourists scramble home from Portugal before change to amber list
