The world-famous monastic community of Mount Athos in northeastern Greece is reopening its doors to pilgrims and visitors after a months-long lockdown, according to an official announcement on Tuesday.

The Foreign Ministry, which has political jurisdiction over the self-governing territory on a promontory of the Halkidiki peninsula, said visitors would be allowed back on strict conditions.

These include submitting to a test at the port of entry, restrictions on the number of visitors and guests allowed in per day, and a ban on the movement of pilgrims between monasteries without proper authorization.

Mount Athos, commonly referred to in Greek as the Agion Oros (“Holy Mountain”), is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. While a famous pilgrimage site and a popular religious tourism destination, only men are permitted to visit the territory.

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.