Cruising in Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece this summer

Albania has seen a very low rate of Covid-19 infections with only 1,076 cases and 33 deaths to date, according to Evolution Yachting. The country implemented strict lockdown measures and currently, yachts are permitted to enter Albania with pre-approval for bunkering and provisioning.

The country opened its borders for business and tourism from June 1st, meaning that life is well on track to going back to normal. Restaurants and bars have already opened up their outdoor terraces, hotel beaches are accessible and public ones open from the 10th.

Croatia is now officially open for both private and commercial yachts over 24m to cruise. All marinas are fully operational, hotels, bars and restaurants, and national parks are all open to guests, although safety measures are in place according to Evolution Yachting.

Airports are open for private jets as well as selected commercial flights, so crew, owners and charter guests may cross the borders, provided they have the required documentation in hand. Although there are no quarantine procedures in place, all visitors are obliged to abide by the recommendations and instructions of the local health authorities.

There are currently zero active cases of Covid-19 in Montenegro, and the government and health authorities have announced that foreign nationals are allowed to enter Montenegro, without the need for any quarantine or self-isolation measures, according to Evolution Yachting. However, the criterion for entry is a rate of active coronavirus cases of less than 25 per 100,000 inhabitants in the country of which the foreigner is a resident and in the country from which the foreigner enters Montenegro. These countries are updated weekly by the Public Health Institute of Montenegro.

Ports and airports are also operational subject to the above measures for arriving nationalities. Anyone arriving by commercial plane from countries, or with residency in countries that are not listed, will be subject to a quarantine which can be revoked after 14 days following a negative result from PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2.

Porto Montenegro Marina has strict access procedures in place so anyone entering must undergo thorough controls to protect crew and guests.

Measures such as mask wearing, hand sanitisation and social distancing are also in effect in all public places. Cinemas, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and shops are all open, complying with the national heath guidelines.

Greece. Credit: Evolution Yachting

The Greek government reacted very quickly to protect its people from the virus. Ferry connections were stopped except for cargo, and essential travel was prohibited, resulting in a very low number of deaths. Slowly ferry services, domestic flights and a few international flights are being reactivated with reduced capacity, according to Evolution Yachting.

Tourism is expected to be reactivated from 15th June – hotels will be allowed to open and gradually other tourist services also, with international flights to tourist destinations permitted from 1st July. Health protocols, including testing, will be in place.