The pilot scheme is considered a trial for a wider opening of the tourist sector both in the Balearic Islands and in the rest of Spain in the coming weeks.

In addition, Greece reopened its gates to tourists on Monday, with protecting the health of visitors and locals being its top priority, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced. International flights for tourists to Athens and Thessaloniki airports have resumed from Monday.

REKINDLING HOPE

Italy, once hit hard by the coronavirus, recorded 26 new COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the lowest daily increase in the country since March 3.

Along with some European partners, the country signed a contract with AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company for buying up to 400 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine.

The contract with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical followed a deal agreed between Italy, Germany, France, and the Netherlands in the previous days in order to ensure the availability of the vaccine in the European markets, once ready.

"Italy has not yet purchased doses of the vaccine -- which are not yet available -- but rather signed a contract to keep supporting this scientific research," Italy's Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri told state-run RAI Radio 1 on Monday.

"Presuming to have it ready for autumn may be premature, yet it (the vaccine) could arrive by the end of the year, or beginning of 2021," he added.

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