Numerous Greeks are back in church this weekend and lying on the beach after these places were closed for weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But sun worshipers and churchgoers must keep their distance from others.
The Greek government is gradually easing more and more corona measures, after the country already locked down much earlier than other European countries. When many countries were still waiting, Greece – in early March – when the corona virus had ‘only’ killed five and had not yet caused a hundred infections – already closed schools, museums and catering establishments. People who broke the rules risked a relatively high fine.
Partly as a result of these strict measures, the number of corona victims in Greece has remained limited and more and more relaxations can now be made.
500 beaches were opened this weekend. That was a good thing, because the first heat wave of the year was measured in the southern European country. It has been above 30 degrees for days.
Sun worshipers must observe the distance rules. For example, only forty people are allowed per 1000 square meters of beach and umbrellas must be four meters apart. On Saturday, there were already long lines for the beaches.
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A church service in Athens (Image: Reuters)
Religious images cleaned after every kiss
The churches were also visited again. “I can’t describe my feeling. After two and a half months of quarantine, we are back in our church,” Stella Kasimati of Piraeus, 76, told news agency Reuters. Greeks were also not allowed to go to church during Easter, a day on which they normally do so en masse.
Gloves and hand gel are distributed at the entrance of churches and chairs are placed far apart so that people stay at a distance from each other. In Greek Orthodox churches, where it is customary to kiss the religious images, the images are cleaned after every kiss.
In Greece, 2,819 coronavirus infections have now been diagnosed and 162 people infected with the virus have died.
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The coronavirus in short
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