Tourists, rejoice! Italy, Greece relax COVID-19 restrictions

By NICOLE WINFIELD and DEMETRIS NELLAS
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — For travelers going to southern Europe, summer vacations just got a whole lot easier. Italy and Greece have relaxed some COVID-19 restrictions before Europe’s peak summer tourist season as life increasingly returns to normal after the pandemic. Greece’s civil aviation authority announced Sunday it was lifting all COVID-19 rules for international and domestic flights except for wearing face masks during flights and at airports. Air travelers were previously required to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or a recent recovery. Italy did away with the health pass that had been required to enter restaurants, cinemas, gyms and other venues. Visitors to Italy also no longer have to fill out the EU passenger locator form, a complicated ordeal.