People visit the ancient Parthenon Temple atop the Acropolis hill archaeological site in Athens, Greece. | LOUIZA VRADI

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It was a warning by a Trojan priest; the horse wasn’t all that it seemed. Nor is the Greek government’s latest relaxation of Covid measures all that it seems. Yes, the Covid passport won’t be needed for entering bars. Yes, the government is looking at not requiring the Covid passport for entry into the country (for European tourists). But this relaxation is only intended to be temporary - from May 1 to August 31. On the first of September, therefore, the Covid passport could well be reintroduced.

What the Greeks decide about use of the passport within the country is a matter for them alone. But when it comes to travel, if they decide to abandon it (even if only temporarily), what does it say about harmonised regulation? Was the principle of the Covid passport, an initiative originally advocated by the Greek government, not supposed to have been standard in member states?

Where countries have abandoned Covid travel restrictions, including the need for the vaccination passports, there may be some tourism promotion angle to this, but one suspects that it is more a case of having asked the question why bother and reached an answer that there is no need. For the Greeks, it looks unashamedly like a tourism promotion. Perhaps they’ll drop the requirement for good from September, having conducted a type of trial system. Who knows. Certainly not the poor traveller who has to keep tabs on arrangements in individual countries. A harmonised approach? There hasn’t been and there was never going to be.