Travelers to Greece will need a negative Covid-19 PCR test to enter the country as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The measure will be in effect from December 19 and the tests will need to be no more than 48 hours old.

The Omicron coronavirus variant has been detected in 77 countries since it was first identified three weeks ago, fuelling concerns that its large number of mutations will help it spread faster and evade protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines or prior infection.

In Britain, at least one person has died after contracting Omicron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, the first publicly confirmed death globally from the variant. [Reuters]