Long queue at Bulgarian-Greek border as traffic funnelled to Kulata-Promachonas
The decision by Greek authorities to restrict land arrivals into the country to select border crossings has resulted in a 15km queue of cars forming at the Kulata-Promachonas checkpoint on July 2, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.
BNR said that traffic increased sharply earlier in the day, with the queue continuing to grow in size. Kulata-Promachonas was designated as the only point of entry into Greece at the border with Bulgaria, according to an announcement on July 1.
The report said that Bulgaria’s border police was working at full capacity, but the process was being slowed down by the checks of mandatory passenger location forms, introduced by Greece earlier this week, and Covid-19 tests administered on the spot, mainly to tourists from Serbia.
Greece has started re-opening to international tourists in order to help its tourism industry, but put in place a protocol that requires all foreign arrivals to complete mandatory passenger location forms starting July 1.
With Greece closing its checkpoints on the border with North Macedonia, Kulata-Promachonas was in effect the only crossing for holidaymakers from Serbia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania who were heading to Greece.
BNR reported that the Makaza-Komotini checkpoint, further east alongside the Bulgarian-Greek border, was still operating on the morning of July 2, but there was no clarity for how much longer it would do so.
Bulgarian border police were concerned that the situation could worsen at the weekend, when the traffic towards Greece was expected to increase further, BNR said.
(Screengrab via Bulgarian National Television)
For the rest of The Sofia Globe’s continuing coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria, please click here.
Section supported by the Embassy of Switzerland
Become a Patreon supporter of The Sofia Globe:
