After Greece reluctantly opened to tourists from the United Kingdom where COVID-19 hit hard, rising cases in Greece – some brought by travelers – has led to worries that the UK could issue a ban on its citizens going to the country.

UK tourists are an important source of revenue for Greece which is eager for visitors to help resurrect an economy hurt bad by an early lockdown and the aftermath of the Coronavirus.

With strict health measures in place for tourists, some travelers from the UK are  complaining they are being turned back from boarding flights and hoteliers have said the restrictions are driving away prospective arrivals. 

With 203 cases reported in Greece on Aug. 9, the highest for any 24-hour period during the pandemic even at its height, the number jumped to 5,623, driven mostly by Greeks and people in the country disobeying health measures.

The jump in infections could lead to Greece being placed onto the UK travel bin list, just weeks after Spain was, the British newspaper The Sun but it hasn't deterred the British from coming, their numbers rising on islands.

The newspaper The Telegraph said vacationers now risk being quarantined back in the UK by still going to Greece, with the country now more popular than Spain for searches after travel there was prohibited.

The Foreign Office currently allows Brits to enter Greece without quarantining back in the UK, with no travel ban in place but those entering Greece must fill out a Passenger Locator Form 24 hours before traveling and receive a QR code which must be shown on arrival at the risk of fines or being turned back.

Some travelers have reported problems with the forms, claiming they didn't receive the code, or warning that their tour operator didn't inform them of the new restrictions, media reports said.