Greece’s Civil Protection announced on Tuesday a “mini lockdown” imposed in the Regional Unit of Heraklio, Crete, placing it on a higher Covid-19 risk, at Level 4 (red). In a statement, the Civil Protection said that the restrictions are being imposed following recommendations by the National Committee for the Protection of Public Health due to increased epidemiological load.
The “mini lockdown” restrictions go into force from 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 11, 2021.
The restriction measures are:
- Traffic ban from 01:00 in the evening until 06:00 in the morning, with the exception for work and serious health reasons.
- Prohibition of music around the clock in food service and entertainment facilities.
The measures are valid until Tuesday, August 17, and will be re-evaluated by the Commission next week.
In its statement, the Civil Protection reminds “that in these areas, as well as throughout the country, it is forbidden to hold any form of events in exchange of [money?] with the physical presence of a crowd of more than twenty (20) people in a private, non-professional space.”
The administrative fine in case of violation amounts from 50,000 to 200,000 euros for the lessee or concessionaire of the private, non-professional space, in which the event in question took place or takes place.
Heraklio is the second Regional Unit on Crete placed in “mini lockdown” after Chania on August 5, 2021.
According to media, authorities do not rule out more local mini lockdowns especially on islands as the epidemiological load has increased given the fact that the month of August is the rational vacations month for Greeks and everybody seems to have relaxed with protection measures.
Epidemiologists monitor the situation daily, and among the islands, Crete is reportedly top with 440 infections, followed by Rhodes with three-digit cases.
Geographic distribution of daily coonavirus cases here
So how would this work with airport arrivals after 1am? Are tourists allowed to travel but we are not?
I shouldn’t worry about it. Nobody is taking any notice of the extra restrictions. One restriction for Level 4 Red is suspension of church services except for weddings and funerals with a very limited number of attendees. Services at my local church in Chania Prefecture, also Level 4 Red, are continuing as normal with about 40 strong congregation inside the church and 60 outside.