Coronavirus: Campaign “Stay Home” goes viral, thousands Greeks flock to cafes

Happy go lucky moms, cheering kids, vivid teenagers, relaxed students… Greeks have been flocking to cafeterias and playgrounds, enjoying the sunny days, the mild temperatures and the closure of schools, universities and kindergartens. They got the message wrong. Or they just don’t care. Or they just follow their Greek heart telling them “coronovirus is for the others, doesn’t affect me!”

What if the country’s health authorities warn of coronavirus spread risks, urge to social distancing and the campaign by the Health Ministry “Stay Home” has gone viral?

Μένουμε Σπίτι. Το πιο αποτελεσματικό μέτρο περιορισμού της επιδημίας, με την εμφάνιση συμπτωμάτων ίωσης, εάν δεν ανήκουμε σε ευπαθή ομάδα.
Δίνουμε προτεραιότητα για την εξέταση στα νοσοκομεία στους συμπολίτες μας με χρόνια νοσήματα & σε άτομα μεγαλύτερης ηλικίας. #μένουμε_σπίτι pic.twitter.com/1KDC9oxOnG

— Vassilis Kikilias (@Vkikilias) March 12, 2020

“Individual responsibility” to protect the others, the elderly and those with chronic problems who may die of the virus?” What’s that?

“I’m not afraid of a virus because … I don’t see it, and I don;t know anybody who got sick,” a neighbor said.

The same argument I heard also by two friends of mine.

The logic: “No see” means “No exists.”

“I wanted to go and slap all these moms in the face,” an 80-year-old neighbor watching from the window several relaxed moms sitting on benches, chatting on their mobiles and a good dozen kids playing around, wrestling, footballing or just rolling with each other on the green grass of the neighborhood square.

Of course, it is not just the people affected by the “Schools Out!” who flock outside. It is also men and women   who have been sent home because their work place needs to be disinfected due to some confirmed or suspected case, or they have been out of work because “business goes bad” since the cornavirus outbreak.

But it is also the elderly who take advantage of the rising temperatures and go out – where especially they should stay at home.

An old man was telling the reporter of a Greek television channel that he goes “out for a coffee in kafeneio in the morning but I stay home all afternoon.” – Does the virus have working hours?

I personally think that it is a matter of time that health authorities take more drastic measures and close cafes, taverns and restaurants to force all those coronavirus revolters to stay inside.

PS the moment I was writhing the last words, the Health Ministry announced the closure of cafes, bars, restaurants etc because “the measures do not work,” as the Health Minister said. More on the new measures soon.