“The cradle of democracy” is now its grave (or one of them): Greece under lockdown

“For Greeks a blush, for Greece a tear.”
                                                  —Lord Byron

From a friend who lives there:

Greece will start inoculating health care workers starting December 27.  It’s pretty well known that whoever refuses loses their job and becomes black listed. That is not said anywhere, but that’s what we all know to be true, and the article I linked to intimates in the end paragraphs health care workers best not refuse the vaccine. 

Greece, a country of 11 million, will give the Pfizer vaccine free.  For now, the government is not saying that it is mandatory, but we are expecting the privacy claim of “no mandates” to be a façade because we likely won’t be able to enter anywhere public without proof of the vax, just the way they require proof from Greeks and foreigners that you took the Covid test 72 hours before entering Greece.

Starting December 21, there will be randomized testing throughout Greece, in neighborhoods everywhere. 

My partner, who is 70, told me that the plan is for those over 65 to receive a phone call and be told when to come in for the shot.   We don’t know what will happen because my partner is absolutely against vaccines. 

Our second lockdown started November 6 and was supposed to end November 30, but on December 1 it immediately got extended to January 7.

Unless you are an essential worker, if you want to go out of your home you must send the government a request by SMS and wait for them to text back permission to leave. If you don’t use a phone (which I never do) you can fill out a piece of paper called Extraordinary Movement Permit which you must carry with your ID. See attached.  It shows the 6 grounds on which you may leave your home, one of which is to exercise, although no group exercise allowed and only two people at a time can walk or run together, safely apart of course. 

The other day a man on the island of Lemnos got fined because during his daily walk he was not wearing athletic clothes.   Last March I was out on my daily walk along the sea and stopped to rest on a bench – I was fined 300 euros for not exercising.   

There’s a 5am to 10 pm curfew, and just the other day the curfew In west attica has been restricted further to 6 pm. Churches cannot congregate, and at least one priest has been arrested. For Christmas 25 people max allowed in standard churches and private gatherings of 9 people per 2 families.

We cannot travel from one region to the next nor from one municipality to the next. 

I know of no lawsuits in Greece challenging any of these diktats.  And of course there are no protest rallies because you’ll be fined.  To add insult to injury the government is urging everyone not to use internet from 9am to 6pm . 

As in the US, the leaders are liars and cheaters.  Prime Minister Mitsotakis was caught riding his bike up Mt. Parnitha without a mask, not social distancing and out of his region, and later his wife was caught escorting Dior House around the Peloponnese