The Greek Minister of Tourism, Haris Theocharis, stated on Tuesday in a TV show that the decision of the British government to include seven Greek islands in the quarantine list for arrivals in England was "very unfortunate".
The decision "is not justified by the main data" regarding the coronavirus cases (Covid-19), said Minister Theocharis.
"I remind you that 20 cases per 100,000 per population is the self-imposed criterion of the British government and we are somewhere between 13 and 14 and we are going down, so that is really unfortunate in our view," he said.
The Greek minister rejected the claim that the Greek government is hiding data on the actual number of cases, stressing that diagnostic tests have increased, especially in Greek areas where there is an increased concentration of cases.
"We remain one of the countries with the best history," he said, adding that Greece 's first priority is to keep Greek citizens and visitors safe.
In addition, Minister Theocharis assured that the testing system followed by Greece is targeted and has allowed the country's authorities to keep the situation under control throughout the summer, despite the expected increase in cases with the opening of tourism.