Does anyone have knowledge of ease/availability of Covid tests in Athens? Would it be different on Sundays? Will non orthodox Easter 4/17 affect openings of sites, restaurants, shops, etc.?
Thank you.
Posted by
Corinth, Greece
39 posts
Hi there,
At the moment all pharmacies provide rapid tests. If you need a PCR you need to visit a diagnostic center.
On Sundays there are just a few which operate and usually are extremely busy.
No, it won t affect any of these.
Posted by
OP
52 posts
Thank you. Are pharmacies generally open on Sundays?
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1603 posts
I am interested in this question, too, as we will be in Greece in May. We are returning home from Athens on a Sunday! But we could certainly get tested on Saturday. I assume all pharmacies are open on Saturdays? Are there also clinics that do testing? Are diagnostic centers the same as clinics?
Maybe US won't require Covid testing to enter the US for fully vaccinated individuals by May. One can only hope!
Thanks.
Posted by
68 posts
Can you just confirm that a rapid test would suffice to return to the U.S.? I believe that is the case if it's a rapid antigen test but perhaps I'm mistaken.
Posted by
37 posts
As of right now, a rapid antigen test is permitted to enter back in the U.S. it must be done within 24 hours before flight back to USA.. www.cdc.gov
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1603 posts
I think it must be done within one day, which gives you more flexibility than 24 hours.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1603 posts
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel-during-covid19.html
Yes, it is one day before you board your flight to the US.
You should contact your hotel and ask them where the nearest pharmacy is where you can get tested for Covid. That is what I did and the hotel gave me the name of the nearest pharmacy which is very close to our hotel. We are departing on a Sunday, so we can get tested on Saturday. Not sure if the pharmacy is open on Sundays, but I specifically asked my hotel about Saturdays.
Posted by
Athens, Greece
5 posts
There are limited pharmacies open in Greece on Sundays even in Athens. Do the test on Saturday if you are flying out on Sunday. Most of Greece is Orthodox so everything will be open for non-Orthodox Easter.
Posted by
san ramon, ca, usa
279 posts
We just received our bianix test kits from emed. They have a proctored covid test which you can do any time prior to your flight. Their customer service is great, although instructions on the website are explicit in some areas and not in others. Sigh. I think it's an english is a second language thing. Anyway, each person needs a private navica account for privacy sake. The other piece is to make sure your phone doesn't go to sleep or lock during the 15 minute wait window during processing of the test. Just what I learned from the process so far today.