27/08/2020 Announcement by the Embassy of Greece on the COVID-19 pandemic in China

As of March 28, 2020, entry into China by foreign nationals holding visas or residence permits is suspended. However, foreign nationals travelling to China for economic, trade, scientific or technological activities, on urgent humanitarian reasons or other essential purposes should apply for new visas at the Chinese Embassies or Consulates.

The number of international flights to and from China, although increasing, remains limited. Direct flights between Greece and China are carried out by Air China twice per week. Flights bound for Beijing are currently diverted to various designated first points of entry and passengers are kindly advised to consult in advance the relevant Air Companies regarding the first points of entry and exact arrival schedule.

Passengers departing from Greece need to fill in the Health Declaration Form which can be downloaded from the Chinese Embassy's website. As of August 31, 2020, passengers arriving to China from Greece should provide a certificate of negative Covid-19 test carried out within 3 days prior to departure at designated medical institutions and validated by the Chinese Embassy in Athens. At all first points of entry into China, all passengers undergo nucleic acid testing and perform mandatory 14 day-quarantine in designated hotels, at their own expenses. Additional quarantine requirements may apply depending on their final destination in China. Before traveling to China, passengers are kindly advised to consult the Chinese Embassy's website.

Passengers travelling to Greece need to fill-in in advance the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) and receive a QR code. Detailed information regarding procedures for arrivals to Greece can be found at: https://travel.gov.gr.  No Covid-19 test is required in order to board on direct Air China flights from Beijing, but tests may be applied upon arrival to Athens.

In Beijing and in many other cities, strict precautionary measures are applied, such as controls at city entry and exit points, temperature check and mandatory use of a mask for entering buildings, public spaces or transportation etc. Furthermore, mobile applications monitoring health, travel and contact history are used extensively. Overall, according to the Chinese authorities, the spread of coronavirus is currently under control in China. Before travelling within China, it is strongly advised to ask information from local authorities.

Regarding precautionary measures, the Embassy recommends that Greek citizens comply with the National Public Health Organization (EODY) travel instructions and consult the Embassy's Announcements.