Greece Has Eased The Lockdown
OK, so Greece has now eased the lockdown and we are now allowed to go out without a permit. Small retail shops opened yesterday May the 4th and people were able to go out for the first time in 6 weeks. Of course this does not mean that all is well, we still have to practice social distancing as much as possible and we must wear masks in public places.
The first phase of the opening will determine how things will progress onward. We are not out of the woods yet but there is light at the end of the tunnel now. Although Greece has eased the lockdown, the Police will still be vigilant in making sure that the rules are followed especially when it comes to social distancing, and protective face masks.
I must admit, it does feel good to be able to go to the mini-market without having to send the text for the permit. Also, the dogs must be happy because now they don’t have to walk so much lol It had reached to a point where the dogs were hiding when they hear pame volta ( Let’s go for a walk)
Greece Has Managed To Slow Down The Spread Of COVID-19 By 80% So Far
Speaking to the nation on a televised address The Greek Healthy Ministry spoke person Professor Sotiris Tsiodras, said that Greece has managed to reduce the spread of Corona Virus by 80% and at the time of the address there had been no deaths in 24 hours which he termed as a great relief not to be talking about deaths but instead talking about lives saved.
Greece has been able to combat the spread of COVID-19 thanks to their quick action, Professor Tsiodras added that the fact that The Greek authorities were able to slow down the spread, made it possible for more lives to be saved because the health facilities were not overwhelmed by large numbers of patients. Which was the case in many other European Countries.
After the opening of small shops, and the lifting of permit requirement, the next phase will be to open the high schools on May 11th, and also to allow free movement on the mainland, as it is now you are allowed to move but within your own area of residency. So depending on how this first phase goes, then things will gradually start progressing.
If All Goes Well, The Islands Could Start Opening On June 1St
But for the islands it’s still unclear when the full free movement will be established, it’s expected that it could happen from June 1st I guess the authorities are trying to restrict people from flooding the islands which could cause an increase in the spread of the virus. So far the Greek islands have done very well.
If indeed things progress nicely, then from June 1st the Islands can start opening the restaurants, cafes, and hotels, which will be in time for domestic tourism, but as for international tourism, a lot still need to be done. I guess there could be lots of tests at the airports before one is allowed to come to the Islands.
They could do like what other European countries are planning to do which is to test anyone who is entering the country and if they are clear, then they can enter the country, that is what Countries like Austria are planning to do. I think traveling will also be quite costly, the test according to Austrian authorities, is going to cost 200 euros and one has to wait at the airport for 3 hours for the results.
The Greek People Welcome The Lift of Lockdown With Excitement
People were able to visit their hairdressers and The Christian faithfuls were able to finally go to church to pray and light candles. This is very important given the fact that the Greek people were not able to celebrate Easter normally this year due to restrictions, so as soon as they could, they went to church, and I bet it felt good.
The Greek people are very religious so when they are not able to go to church it must be very hard for them, so going to church was the first thing on the list on Monday. Of course, all this was done while practicing social distance, on Monday the Greek Police was seen in buses and metro in different cities, inspecting, to make sure people were observing the social distance rules, and wearing protective face masks.
It’s our hope that things will progress well, so we can have some type of normalcy. Also, I hope Greece and especially the Greek Islands will not miss out on the tourists, this year, because as we all know Tourism is a big contributor to the Greek economy. Of course, the world is facing a global economic crisis, due to COVID-19, but it’s our hope that we will all get through this somehow.
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Conclusion
The COVID-19 outbreak has shaken the whole world. It has made people look at life from a new perspective, and I am sure there are so many things that we as human beings are not going to take for granted ever again. Greece has been successful in combating the spread of this virus and it’s my hope and prayer that now we are starting to relax the restrictions, that things will go well.
Of course, nothing is written on stone, if the progress is not positive, then we could go back to the restrictions, of course, I hope that will not be the case. I sure miss meeting up with friends, and having a fun time, so I sure hope we will have a good summer.
Well, that’s it for today, I wish you good health and I hope you will stay safe.
If you don’t mind can you share with us how things are progressing in your part of the world, leave your comments below, and Let’s keep this discussion going.
Thank you so much for your time.
Rose
