The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Mr. Giannis Plakiotakis, paid a visit to the port of Piraeus today on the occasion of the first voyages of ships to Crete after the lifting of restrictions, accompanied by the Secretary General of Ports and Port Policy, Mr. Evangelos Kyriazopoulos, the Secretary General of Aegean and Island Policy Mrs. Christiana Kalogirou and the Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral Theodoros Kliaris.

Mr. Plakiotakis visited successively the passenger-vehicle ferries “Kydon Palace” of the Minoan Lines and “Hellenic Spirit” of ANEK where he inspected the security measures taken, while he talked with passengers and members of the crews of the two ships and wished them safe travels and good summer.

At the end of Mr. Plakiotakis’ visit, he stated the following: “Regularity starts today in Crete. The next few days will be followed by the rest of our islands. As I found out, there is readiness and everything is going smoothly. Both the passengers and the crew members show the required responsibility and I want to thank them for their patience.

During all this time, everyone adhered to the restrictive measures with religious reverence, and this had the positive effect that most of our islands had absolutely no cases.

The protocols that have already been announced have as their primary goal to preserve public health on the islands, but also the health of passengers and crew members of ships.

At the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, we are closely monitoring the movement, but also the implementation of the measures, so that gradually and at the appropriate time, always in collaboration with the scientists, we can review the relevant protocols. I wish everyone a safe and secure trip. “