Tag: curfews and restrictions

Spring Break on Symi?

Spring is in the air and people are starting to make travel plans, regardless of whether their government thinks they should or not. The Greek Minister of Tourism is wooing international tourism and various announcements are being made in the overseas media that create the impression that Greece is already open. The reality on the ground is actually very different. Infection rates in Athens and other regions are higher than ever and Greece is still in a heavy lockdown. Although there is a vaccination program underway it will be many weeks before it is completed.

The following is a summary of where we are at the moment. This may change at any stage but right now this is what is required to travel to Greece and what you can expect should you get here.

At the moment there is a restriction on non-essential travel (tourism) to Greece.  The government website travel.gov.gr gives the full information in detail.  The salient points are:

  1. The traveler must have a negative Covid-19 test not more than 72 hours before travelling. The results must be from an approved testing facility, in English and including the traveler’s passport number or ID.
  2. The traveler must complete a PLF form (available from the link above) 24 hours before traveling and receive the QR code which they must have to be allowed to board the flight. This is the same as last year.
  3. To travel between municipalities and prefectures once in Greece the traveler must have proof of a valid reason to reach their end destination.  A Greek tax certificate (E1) that shows ones tax residence is Symi is accepted proof of the necessity to travel to Symi.  (Non-essential internal travel in Greece is still illegal.)
  4. The traveler must self-isolate for 7 days from arrival at their destination, for example Symi.  This means no shopping, walks etcetera for a week. The person must stay at home. For example, if you decide to come to Symi to open up your house for the spring, you must make arrangements before you arrive to have your food supplies delivered so that you don’t have to leave the house or have contact with other people for the 7 days’ isolation. The police can make random checks to make sure that you are at home and they may also call you at random times on your landline telephone to ensure that you are where you ought to be. The fines for violations are serious.

The situation in Greece.  Greece is still in hard lockdown. This countrywide lockdown started on 7 November 2020 and has not been lifted.  Details of the lockdown and the permit system are given on forma.gov.gr  including the format for the SMS system. The salient points are:

  1. A Greek SIM is required to access the SMS permit system.  The reasons for being allowed to leave the house are as follows:
    1. SMS 1 – medical
    2. SMS 2 – to shop for food
    3. SMS 3 – to go to the bank or post office
    4. SMS 4 – to render assistance to the elderly/vulnerable and to transport spouses/children.  Note.  It is illegal to give lifts to non family members.
    5. SMS 5 – to attend a funeral
    6. SMS 6 – to exercise on foot or by bicycle. Not more than 3 people together.
  2. The curfew is from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  3. Limited retail may be available from next week, using a Click and Collect system by appointment and using a different coding system. This will have a time limit of 3 hours per day.  This is unlikely to affect anything on Symi.
  4. Cafes can only offer take aways.  Bars, tavernas, restaurants etcetera are all closed.
  5. Masks are to be worn at all times, including outside and social distancing regulations apply.
  6. Police can stop you at any time to check that you have your SMS permit, your passport or ID and are wearing a mask.
  7. There is no mixing of households.

Empty August

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Well, here we are, drifting through the quietest August in living memory.  Some property owners, mostly French and Italian, have travelled to Symi as they usually do at this time of the year and there are a few unfamiliar faces around, but by and large this feels more like a very hot April than the busiest fortnight in the year.

Greece appears to be heading towards the dreaded ‘second wave‘, caused not so much by large quantities of infected tourists descending upon the country in their droves but through community spread.  Big weddings and crowded social gatherings seem to be the main sources of infection as the uninhibited behaviour that accompanies such events spreads the virus faster than you can say ‘Yamas!’.  The government has brought in ever more regulations to try to restrain reckless behaviour but to visit Symi on any given name day in July you would never believe that religious festivals are banned.  In theory the big annual shindig at the Alethini on the Pedi road should not be taking place this weekend but unless the police turn up and fine the entire populace, chances are good that it will take place as usual.  It has taken a while for the wearing of masks in taxis, on the bus, in the shops and so on to catch on and there is the difficulty of enforcing mask wearing in supermarkets.  People in a position of authority, like the post office staff, have a greater chance of enforcing the regulations and don’t allow a foot over the threshold without mask and appropriate social distancing, but regular shops don’t have the weight of the state behind them when it comes to persuading aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and the like to follow the rules.

We are told about record breaking numbers of new infections every day, particularly in Attica and Thessaloniki, but when it comes to revealing what is happening in the islands, figures are very generalised – knowing, for example, that there are 4 more cases in the Dodecanese today or whenever does not say very much.  Gossip and speculation abound.  Is it true that two tourists with high fevers were removed from Symi last week?  It might be a hot topic of discussion at the hardware store or petrol station but there are no specifics.  Some still say that the whole country will shut down after Panagia because someone on daytime TV speculated about this at some point.  In real time, curfews have been imposed in some popular tourist destinations, including Rhodes and Mykonos, and the whole island of Poros is up in arms because party-time is over and the blame-game has begun.

Regulations for travellers have been extended and anyone coming from Spain, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands or the Czech Republic is now required to have a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before travelling.  There are also further restrictions on entrance through the land borders.

Meanwhile, in other news, the cat and mouse game between Turkey and Greece continues but we will save that for another day.