Long queues of tourists at Bulgaria-Greece border

Thousands of tourists packed in their cars waited for hours under the scorching sun at the Bulgarian-Greek border on Saturday.

Queues of vehicles reached up to 15 kilometers (10 miles) long as people waited in the sweltering heat to cross into Greece cross at the Kulata-Promachonas border checkpoint.

It is the fourth consecutive day that travelers from Bulgaria and other Balkan countries have braved temperatures close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit on their way to the long-awaited vacation on Greek beaches after months of coronavirus lockdowns.

Border police said that besides Bulgarians the travelers were mainly Romanians, Serbs and Greeks living in Western Europe.

Serbian citizens may enter Greece but only via Bulgaria, as Greece has closed its border with Northern Macedonia for tourists.

Congestion at the checkpoint was due to enhanced controls by Greece that required all foreign nationals to complete declarations on their health status concerning COVID-19.

On Friday, Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry had summoned the Greek ambassador to Sofia to demand the opening of additional checkpoints at the Bulgarian-Greek border.

(Image Credit Pixabay)