Greece said Monday that travellers from the EU and five other countries who are fully vaccinated or have a recent negative Covid test will no longer have to quarantine on arrival. 

Visitors from the EU, Britain, the United States, Israel, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates will not be subjected to a week-long quarantine, the civil aviation authority said in a statement.

Travellers must present proof they are fully vaccinated or a negative Covid test from the previous 72 hours, it said. 

The quarantine will be lifted from Monday but other restrictions "for domestic or international flights will be in effect until April 26", the aviation authority said. 

The announcement comes despite a surge in coronavirus cases in the country, with dozens of deaths and more than 1,500 new infections per day. 

Virus restrictions are still in place in Greece, with only essential travel allowed between regions. 

Greece is eager to reopen its badly hit tourism sector this summer and has ramped up its vaccine rollout in the hopes of building up a "wall of immunity" for residents, the government has said. 

It aims to finish vaccinating all the over-60s by May.

The pandemic has ravaged tourism on the continent -- Greece included -- with many nations shutting borders for non-essential travel. 

The European Union has said it wants to launch a vaccine passport for travellers, though plans have not yet been formalised.