Greece closes its borders to Serbia amid pandemic

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Greece has temporarily closed its borders to Serbian citizens on Monday morning in response to the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic described the decision as "unfortunate."

"The decision will be periodically reviewed by Greece... we hope that other facts will be taken into account. It is obvious that Greece has an interest in foreign tourists coming, and most tourists are just coming from Serbia," said Dacic.

Tourist operators in Serbia have also expressed frustration over the decision, describing it as unfair, and calling on tourist organizations in Greece to react.

Greece's decision came after some Serbian tourists tested positive, despite the fact that Serbia currently has only 3,067 active coronavirus cases -- out of 16,131 total confirmed cases, with a death toll of 311, according to data compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

On Sunday, 293 Serbian passengers in two different airplanes arrived in Turkey's southern coastal city of Antalya, as the country continues to receive Serbian tourists who want to have their summer vacations on the seaside.