Greece Announces 10-day quarantine for all arrivals from abroad as of December 18

All travelers arriving to Greece from abroad between Friday, December 18 and Thursday, January 7, 2021, will be required to self-isolate for 10 days.

Speaking during a media briefing yesterday, Greek Government spokesperson Stelios Petsas announced that the government decided to extend the current lockdown measures through to the first week in January 2021 to combat the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

International travel
With regard to international travel, Petsas said that all entering Greece from countries abroad between Friday, December 18 and Thursday, January 7, 2021, will be obliged to:

– submit a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) and a negative Covid-19 test result (PCR) performed up to 72 hours before arrival
– take a rapid Covid-19 test upon entry
– enter a 10-day preventive quarantine.

Travelers who test positive for Covid-19 at Greece’s land borders will be denied entrance to the country.

Traveling out of home prefectures is banned. Moreover, Petsas said that traveling between Greek prefectures (domestic travel) will not be allowed until 6am on January 7, 2021.

Movement in the country
Greece’s night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am will remain in place and outside movement in Greece will continue to be allowed only for specific reasons and by sending an SMS to the five-digit mobile phone service 13033.

The government’s spokesperson noted that one month after Greece entered its second nationwide lockdown, the pressure on the country’s health system remains high, despite the fewer Covid-19 cases in recent days and that the improvement of epidemiological data is proceeding slower than expected.

Source: https://news.gtp.gr/2020/12/07/greece-announces-10-day-quarantine-for-all-arrivals-from-abroad-as-of-december-18/

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Please

Panormos sky

The municipality kindly asks the owners of vehicles parked in the old harbor of Skopelos and on the square of the Panajitsa tou Pirgos church, to remove them. At the moment there is a lot of work going on in these areas and the vehicles parked in the mentioned areas are slowing down the work.

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Just a little bit longer, lockdown extended until the 14th of December

We have to stay optimistic and laugh a little sometimes so I posted this music video from Jackson Browne; stay just a little longer. Talking about the lockdown here.

Greece announced on yesterday that it would be extending the country’s second Covid-19 lockdown by a week to 6am on December 14 allowing in meantime the opening of retail stores selling holiday goods/christmas presents etc.

This is the second extension of the containment rules beyond initially announced dates after failure of current measures to bring down the number of daily recorded Covid-19 cases and deaths resulting in increasing pressure on the health care system.

Citing the latest data, Government Spokesperson Stelios Petsas said the gradual return to economic and social activity is being pushed back due the number of new infections which was stabilizing or reducing but at a “slower than expected” rate.

Petsas went on to add however that retail shops selling Christmas items will be able to open on exception on December 7. Details on the operation of stores and supermarkets – also allowed to sell seasonal goods – will be announced on Friday.
Source: https://news.gtp.gr/2020/12/03/greece-pushes-second-covid-19-lockdown-december-14/?utm_source=GTP+headlines+list&utm_campaign=8e9599f92b-Headlines+Newsletter+4-12-2020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_742e571d31-8e9599f92b-64827381

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Never stop!

Today we decided that the six chickens we have left over from an attack (unknown animal) we will leave out of the chicken coop during the day. It was fun to look at them for a while this morning and see them scraping the soil, to find something else, maybe a worm, than the sand they have around their small fenced new coop. They love their freedom like we do and it shows how we take it for granted when it it taken away from us.

With the news that England will be the first country in the world where, very soon, people can get vaccinated against Covid-19 I try to stay optimistic these days. It is not always easy because thoughts about the unknown future keep popping up in my head. Greece is in its fourth week of lockdown and the official recorded corona patients figure and patients in the ICU’s is not going down. The officials hope to see some change in the next week. The Greek health system is barely holding it together. Private health clinics have been ordered to take corona patients and fortunately private funding from big organizations like the Stavros Niarchos Foundation have helped build more ICU units with valuable hospital equipment etc. Many doctors and nurses are working voluntarily in hospitals or have asked to be placed (temporarily) in hospitals that needs them the most. This most be the case all over the world.

On Skopelos the municipality tries be more transparent about what they do regarding covid-19 cases but I think the updates should be more frequent and more in depth. For now they have send a message with what is in place on Skopelos, demands towards the central goverment and phone numbers on Skopelos attached if somebody needs information or help.

Health centre (24 hours open) 2424022222

Municipality 2424022834

Vide_mayor Α.Βούλγαρης : 6977701070

Appointed health employee: κ. Ανδριώτης : 2424022834-6972015019

Glossa village : 2424033502

Vice mayor in Glossa : 6981219192

Head of the village Glossa: 6981733183

Head of the village Elios/Old Klima: 2424033689, 6977161064

Appointed head of village Elios/Old Klima : κα. Κουκουρίνη –Φύβγα Σταματούλα: 6983717851

In the meantime it try to update you about the ungoing work. Let’s see what turns up after a couple of weeks…

Individual initiatives on Skopelos show the possibilities of enjoying the unique nature and environment. We hope Skopelos Trail Race will be held in 2021.

Teaser Skopelos Trail Race from Rafael de Amorim on Vimeo.

We admire, again, the amazing work Heather Parsons (Skopelos trails) has done for Skopelos all these years by keeping most trails on Skopelos open and with the help of a volunteer network keeps at it! Most trails have been charted too. Heather also organizes walks over these amazing trails.

And let’s not forget Panajotis from Skopelos Cycling. You can rent a bike from him but you can also go on a cycle trip with him. This video (going down from mount Palouki) below shows that he never stops! That will be my motto for the next couple of months, never stop!

Stay well, stay safe !!

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