The Greek government decided temporarily banning all foreign flights as of 22 March to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Greek media quoted high-ranking government sources as saying that Athens determined the scenario of banning all foreign flights and should officially confirm within hours, while they study decision about domestic flights. The implications of the coronavirus pandemic on Greek tourism, the country’s key industry, are expected to be enormous and are already causing policymakers a headache.

Kathimerini newspaper reported last week that Greek hotels have seen mass cancellations for months beyond April, while major tourism organizations such as TUI have suspended payments citing “force majeure”. Two days ago Greece's Minister for Tourism, Harry Theoharis, announced the suspension of hotels.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is going to make a televised speech later on Thursday, focusing on measures to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus, while at the same time Greece reaches 530 new cases and 13 deaths of coronavirus.