Greece adds more restrictions on Easter movement during COVID-19

Α Decrease font Enlarge font
Greece adds more restrictions on Easter movement during COVID-19Much of Greece’s population annually flee the capital and cities to go to holiday homes at Easter

ATHENS – Trying to prevent an Easter exodus to villages and islands during a COVID-19 lockdown aimed at preventing the spread of the Coronavirus, Greece’s New Democracy is going to add more restrictions on movement.

There’s a worry in the government that the advent of better spring weather combined with Easter – the traditional time for family gatherings –, as well as cabin fever from people pent up for nearly three weeks, will see mass flouting, said Kathimerini.

Much of Greece’s population annually flee the capital and cities to go to holiday homes at Easter but toll booths, ports, and bus terminals are being used to check to ensure that only people with permanent residences can go to villages or islands.

Travelers are required to show tax forms proving where they live and face fines of 300 euros ($328.33) and loss of their license plates for 60 days if found to be violators of controls that also limit travel outside the home to essential missions such as going to supermarkets, banks, hospitals and pharmacies, for which fines are 150 euros ($114.17) for violations.

The new Easter plans include more police checks on national highways although it wasn’t said why those roads weren’t closed before toll booths to limit entrances only to those allowed to be on them.

If necessary, police will also deploy surveillance aids such as drones or helicopters to better monitor the road network.

“We need to be aware that, apart from posing a threat to public health, moving from cities to the provinces could also cause social unrest as residents of the latter have publicly spoken out against such moves, fearing a spread (of COVID-19)” a senior official of the Citizens’ Protection Ministry not identified told the paper.

The Church of Greece reiterated that services will be held during the Easter period with the only clergy allowed inside, along with cantors but without worshippers, and urged people to stay away.

In reply to reports and social media buzz that cathedrals will open their doors to the faithful for a few hours every day during Orthodox Easter Week, a spokesman for the Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece said they won’t.

“Under the present circumstances, the Holy Synod does not urge any believer to come to church. Churches are not open to the faithful and that is the point of holding holy services behind closed doors,” the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlasios and Church of Greece spokesman, Ierotheos, added.

Read more at thenationalherald.com

RELATED TOPICS: GreeceGreek tourism newsTourism in GreeceGreek islandsHotels in GreeceTravel to GreeceGreek destinationsGreek travel marketGreek tourism statisticsGreek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Stevenmits

Tornos
  1. 18/04 23:44

    Alltours: Familiarization trip to Greece for 250 travel agents

  2. 18/04 19:45

    Nations Cup Beach Volleyball is coming to TUI Magic Life Candia Maris on May 16-18

  3. 18/04 16:22

    Navarino Challenge returns on May 9-11, 2025

  4. 18/04 15:55

    Traditional Easter in Naxos: Unique Customs and Local Cuisine

  5. 18/04 07:38

    Annual revenue of over 43,000 euros for Airbnb in Mykonos and Santorini

  6. 17/04 18:16

    Destination Management and Promotion Organization established in Heraklion 

  7. 17/04 12:19

    Lyft steps up European presence with FreeNow acquisition

  8. 17/04 11:24

    Jet2: Four new Greek destinations from Luton in summer 2026

  9. 17/04 11:12

    Athens is the new hotspot in Europe for hotel investments - the 8th most attractive city in 2025

  10. 17/04 10:28

    Significant increase of over 18% in direct bookings at Greek hotels for Easter

  11. 17/04 08:33

    Short-term rental: 1.15 million available nights in March in Greece

  12. 17/04 07:49

    Accor's Handwritten Collection expands to Europe – The first Greek participation

  13. 17/04 07:46

    Ithaca is ready to welcome its visitors for Easter and the summer season

  14. 17/04 07:38

    Mirum Hellas: Donation of studies for the Agios Nikolaos Marina

  15. 17/04 06:59

    CBRE Hotels | Why the value of hotels in Greece will continue to rise

  16. 17/04 06:54

    Mykonos: Smiles for Easter, optimism for record arrivals in 2025

  17. 16/04 23:41

    Promotion of Central Macedonia in Poland - direct flights to Thessaloniki begin

  18. 16/04 21:19

    Hersonissos: 33,000 tourist beds in the “Pay As You Throw” system

  19. 16/04 21:07

    Adventure Tourism: Greece Wins British Travelers’ Choice

  20. 16/04 16:29

    Destination Management and Promotion Organization established in Rethymno

  21. 16/04 16:26

    PPA | Series of upgrades to the infrastructure of the port of Piraeus

  22. 16/04 15:34

    Wizz Air: Medical awareness campaign in view of increased Easter travel traffic

  23. 16/04 13:38

    Expedia | Sports Tourism Accounts for 10% of Global Tourism Spend

  24. 16/04 11:59

    American Tourism | + 38% travel costs to Europe in 2025 - Shift to more affordable destinations

  25. 16/04 11:48

    Chania olive oil as a growth driver in the tourism economy of Crete

  26. 16/04 11:45

    Enhanced police presence in Chios ahead of Easter

  27. 16/04 08:52

    CHC Group: The Greek chain that brings Hilton to Elounda and Karpathos

  28. 16/04 08:05

    The great restoration of the Venetian Wharfs of Chania begins

  29. 16/04 07:59

    Tourism: TUI's packages for Greece in Austria are in demand

  30. 16/04 07:56

    Koziakas Mountain Race 2025: The mountain challenge in Koziakas

  31. 15/04 17:27

    Easter in Syros, Paros, Kimolos, and Alonissos | What the island authorities say to TN

  32. 15/04 16:36

    Passenger traffic in Q1 | +9.1% at CAA airports, +6.5% in all

  33. 15/04 16:30

    Investment interest in tourism remains stable internationally in the first quarter

  34. 15/04 15:40

    Great Britain | Greece and the Greek National Tourist Office at Kuoni Road Show

  35. 15/04 15:23

    What will our world be like in 2035? - Read what the participants at the Delphi Forum answered

  36. 15/04 14:45

    Norwegian Cruise Line christens new ship - new attractions on private island

  37. 15/04 11:57

    Dynamic presence of the Winemakers of Crete at the PROWEIN exhibition

  38. 15/04 11:53

    Municipality of Sfakia: The Lykos - Marmara route is safer and more accessible again

  39. 15/04 08:02

    Paros | Optimism for the new season - Bet on extending the season

  40. 15/04 07:07

    Anopaia Atrapos: A mountain running race with a historical route and an athletic ethos

  41. 14/04 21:19

    YOTEL: Brits choose cities for Easter

  42. 14/04 20:32

    Seminars on the quality of Cretan olive oil at MAICH

  43. 14/04 19:36

    Strong interest of the Italian market in Greece

  44. 14/04 14:17

    Workshop in Thessaloniki and Athens for cooperation between Greece and Turkey in tourism

  45. 14/04 13:39

    Increase in visitor numbers and revenues to museums and archaeological sites in 2024

  46. 14/04 12:42

    Ryanair | Bookings now available through Expedia Group

  47. 14/04 11:52

    GNTO | Event for Aegean's new flights from Turkey to five Greek destinations

  48. 14/04 11:45

    Presentation of Pieria in the Polish market

  49. 14/04 11:04

    Mercan and Wyndham partner for Corfu Acharavi hotel in Corfu

  50. 14/04 08:09

    March air traffic: Up on last year's March, which had Easter

  51. 14/04 07:10

    Permits for 8 hotels in Thessaloniki, Crete, Kos, Corfu, Ouranoupoli, and Nafplio

  52. 14/04 07:04

    German tourism: Holidays above inflation

  53. 13/04 13:15

    TUI Musement | Skiathos, Kefalonia, Larnaca, and Troodos in top-7 destinations for tourists 65+

  54. 13/04 12:11

    Mayor K. Ventouris on TN | Optimism for this year's tourist season in Kimolos

  55. 11/04 18:20

    A. Fiorentinos at an Expedia event: Santorini is returning to normality

  56. 11/04 16:07

    G. Hatzis: Trump tariffs could theoretically affect tourism from the US

  57. 11/04 12:23

    Double international distinction for Paros by American Express Travel and Forbes

  58. 11/04 11:43

    Crete: Pioneer for resilient tourism in the face of climate change

  59. 11/04 11:32

    “Philoxenia Travel & Culture”: A Photographic Journey to Authentic Greece

  60. 11/04 11:28

    Germany | Tourism industry risks losing older customers

  61. 11/04 08:51

    Participation of the municipality of Erymanthos as a full member in the Network of Cities with Lakes

  62. 11/04 08:46

    "Two destinations, one purpose": Promoting pilgrimage tourism in Lesvos and Chios

  63. 11/04 07:54

    Development of cultural and tourism programs in Phocis

  64. 11/04 06:11

    ForwardKeys | Heraklion and Thessaloniki among the top Easter destinations in Europe

  65. 10/04 16:15

    N. Chalkiadakis on TN | Arrivals take off at the airport in Kastelli

  66. 10/04 12:56

    WTTC: Global tourism to soar over the next 10 years - Contribution to $16.5 trillion in 2035

  67. 09/04 23:02

    Digital tourism promotion for the Holy Shrine of Panagia Kastriani of Kea

  68. 09/04 22:08

    International award for the Venetian Castle of Fortezza in Rethymno

  69. 09/04 19:45

    Trump's tariffs and Americans' ties to travel

  70. 09/04 19:13

    Olga Kefalogianni: Authenticity, sustainability, and tourism 12 months a year

  71. 09/04 16:19

    Ioannina, a reference point for digital nomadism

  72. 09/04 13:24

    Paros declares itself "fully ready" to welcome visitors

  73. 09/04 12:27

    Pieria | POTAP - jet2 collaboration to open up the British market

  74. 09/04 11:36

    Tourism promotion of Volos and Pelion in Great Britain

  75. 09/04 11:31

    Sports Tourism | A $1.3 trillion market

  76. 09/04 08:50

    Greek Tourism: “Take-off” of flights from Germany in 2025

  77. 09/04 07:57

    "Thematic olive routes” | Crete opens a new page for its visitors

  78. 09/04 07:52

    New English-speaking postgraduate program from the Technical University of Crete

  79. 09/04 07:49

    Sitia Geopark: Educational tourism in the nature of the Ziros Plateau

  80. 09/04 07:45

    Mykonos: Investments in infrastructure to boost cruise tourism

  81. 08/04 04:55

    N. Chalkiadakis on Tornos News: How a beer brought swingers to Crete

  82. 08/04 04:55

    Alexandroupolis Municipality at Tourism Workshop in Bucharest

  83. 08/04 04:55

    Municipality of Drama: Highlighting and integrating Byzantine fortification into urban fabric

  84. 08/04 04:55

    Participation of Samothrace in a project to highlight the cultural value of historical sites

  85. 08/04 04:55

    Americans remain the “golden” market for Athens

  86. 08/04 04:50

    Sparta in the Network of Greek Cities for Development

  87. 07/04 22:48

    Greece is the fifth destination for Germans this Easter

  88. 07/04 22:42

    Mykonos | Optimism for cruise performance in 2025

  89. 07/04 22:34

    Deloitte: Trends Driving Travel Demand

  90. 07/04 22:14

    Crete | Agrotourism in the spotlight: presentation of the “epaithros” Network in Heraklion

  91. 07/04 16:17

    Promoting Greece in the American market as a cruise destination

  92. 07/04 16:15

    alltours boosts presence in Greece | Two new alltoura Club Hotels in Crete and Rhodes

  93. 07/04 15:43

    M. Konsolas: 3 proposals to prevent citizens from being burdened by the increase in ferry tickets

  94. 07/04 15:37

    Preveza "travels" to Syntagma - Exhibition promoting the prefecture and local products

  95. 07/04 14:20

    Promotion of Epirus in the French travel guide Retourd

  96. 07/04 12:27

    Athens Airport: +10.8% passenger traffic in March, +11.4% in the quarter

  97. 07/04 11:32

    International Tourism | 16.8% jump in hotel bookings for Easter 2025

  98. 07/04 08:40

    Special forms of tourism | Birdwatching: The first birdwatchers arrive in Lesvos

  99. 07/04 07:46

    Accessible beaches in Glyfada and North Kynouria

  100. 06/04 14:13

    Sleep Tourism: Sleep becomes the new "destination" - opportunities for Greece