YES, YOU CAN GO TO THE GREEK ISLANDS THIS SUMMER –as long as you're not British (yet)

UK travellers are not allowed into Greece yet, although this may change after 30 July. So I can't get to our villa to prepare it for the two lots of summer guests who have booked, and will have to do it remotely via my excellent Greek cleaning duo Eleni and Anna. Even if I did manage to get there, I'd have to quarantine on return to the UK, a rather pointless exercise in my view, given that Greece had one of the lowest incidences of COVID19, fewer than 200 deaths, and only one suspected infection on my home island of Naxos.

Meanwhile, the Greeks, who escape to the islands every summer, and most of the rest of Europe can travel throughout Greece, although some local airports remain closed. Staying in a private villa rather than a hotel must be one of the safest ways to holiday, so our home is open for summer lets. I've just received a list of rules that must be followed, including no mid-stay change (you leave out all the linen for the entire stay) or clean, disinfected keys left in plastic bag, and thorough cleaning with chlorine-based products.

Meanwhile, the Greeks, who escape to the islands every summer, and most of the rest of Europe can travel throughout Greece, although some local airports remain closed. Staying in a private villa rather than a hotel must be one of the safest ways to holiday, so our home is open for business. I've just received a list of rules that must be followed, including no mid-stay change (you leave out all the linen for the entire stay) or clean, disinfected keys left in plastic bag, and thorough cleaning with chlorine-based products.

As for the Brits, they can start planning for an autumn escape to the still blue of the Aegean, when the weather is gentle, the sea warm, and the autumn flowers begin to appear like gems in the dry earth.