Head of Civil Protection Nikos Hardlias announced on Friday which regional units and municipalities go into “very high risk” status (deep red), which ones keep it and which ones fall into simple “high risk” (red).
Regions and municipalities in “deep red” – tougher lockdown – from Saturday, April 3, 2021:
Regional units: Kilkis
Municipality of: Serres, Konitsa, Skyros, Astypalea, Rhodes,and Halki*, Leros, Galatini, Askio.
*Hardalias may have referred to “Rhodes and Halki” in one breath, however, according to media reports, it’s not Halki, the island in the Dodecanse, but Halki a village by Larissa, Central Greece.
Municipalities exiting “deep red” and are marked “red”: Thesprotia, Heraklion, Metsovo.
Hardalias made special reference to the areas of Kozani, Thessaloniki and Achaia, where the situation is particularly worrying depsite the tougher lockdown measures.
The following areas remain in the “deep red” status:
Regional units: Attica, Aitoloakarnania, Achaia, Viotia, Evia, Fthiotida, Evytania, Argolida, Arcadia, Corinth, Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Pella, Kozani, Lesvos, Zakynthos, Mykonos,
Municipalities: Kalymnos, Chios, Anogia (Rethymno), Chania, Ioannina, Katerini, Amfipolis, Veria, Skiathos, Karditsa, Kastoria, Orestidos, Grevena
Inter-municipal movement
The head of Civil Protection referred to the opening of inter-municipal movement on weekends (April 3-4) and the opening of retail stores on Monday, (April 5) and stressed that protection measures should be observed and crowding to be avoided.
He warned that if the measures are not observed, then it is possible that the loosening of these two measures will be revoked.
In a relevant question about the inter-municipal travels and the shopping, Hardalias clarified that
- for shopping in retail stores the use of sms at <13032> is essential, with an appointment at a specific store. Movement is allowed “definitely within the regional unit” and within the time limit of three hours.
In simple language: citizens are allowed to do retail shopping in other municipalities.
PS This government and epidemiologists and civil protection authorities are killing me with their statements that need 2,000 clarifications. And yet: Just go out and ask a Greek what is forbidden and what is allowed in the current coronavirus lockdown status across the country. Nobody will be able to give you a clear answer.
In Germany its the same catastrophe of politic.
You say – ask a Greek what is forbidden and what is allowed and no-one will be able to give you a clear answer. This is because the government itself can’t give you a clear answer They haven’t a clue what’s going on. And when they do publish new rules and regulations they are so VAGUE that nobody can understand what the hell is going on. We’re all in a state of total confusion !!!!!!
One thing is for certain, we cannot do as much as the tourists who are here now
It’s not because you can’t, but because you don’t dare to make use of your freedom.
But that’s just how you were brought up here in this country.
Ref: Your final PS. There is no simple language in Greece!
That is the result of having a so-called “free language”.
Just see how Google Translate struggles to make an occasional complete sentence!
KTG is to be congratulated for making an almost readable English language report. The few errors and spelling is acceptable under the circumstances. I do appreciate your efforts – thank you.
I completely agree with your PS, KTG. Rules on inter-municipality travel for shopping, which are important to everybody, are a complete mess. This web site: https://covid19.gov.gr/covid-map/ is supposed to give full details of all the restrictions. It is very good, in that it gives lots of obscure details, BUT it has not been updated since 20/03/2021. It used to give rules on inter-municipality travel for essential shopping but they differed from what the papers published, i.e. papers said it was not allowed anywhere but the web site said it wasn’t allowed only in very high risk areas. Hardalias never clarified. Now it says nothing about it. I guess when your world is Athens it doesn’t matter that much but out here in the sticks it is very important. Can I go to a big supermarket, which is outside my municipality, or am I restricted to my village shop for the rest of my life? Both are in Increased Risk areas but not Very High Risk.
With rules changing every week or even more often that that, with one “freedom” granted to be revoked immediately afterwards, I think we are all left in a state of utter confusion.
I suppose even law enforcement don’t understand what they should sanction at this point. In the end, what are we allowed to do, I mean today since tomorrow some new rules will apply?