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Through two maps, those of Greece and Europe, which are now being painted at an alarming rate with the colors of the pandemic, the difficult “battle” of winter is announced and the government’s anxiety not to close the country’s blinds, but to last until the end. open society and economy, limiting jumps to the number of daily cases and deaths, hence the risk of suffocating pressure on the public health system.
Behind the “orange” and “red”, which testify to the severity of the second wave of the coronavirus, there are not only the first local quarantines and horizontally restrictive measures -essentially- (such as the use of a mask in each movement of citizens, inland and outdoors, from Saturday morning), but there are also new scenarios, thoughts and business plans for the next adjustment steps, if needed. In the latest announcements of the Prime Minister, the information says, the toolbox of the government and scientists was not exhausted. On the contrary, the “weapons” that concern (and) block the movement of citizens within the territory remain in the drawer, at the moment the chapter “closed – open borders” opens in the next 24 hours and at the European level .
Under the microscope
This means that it is not only national borders that remain under the microscope, but also those that divide the country’s regional units, with scientists having another “weapon” at their disposal, which they hope to activate when necessary. The Covid-19 safety and security health map has a variety of colors (from green to deep red) that divides Greece in two.
The “green” and “yellow” geographic areas are “virgin” areas, in the sense that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not been able to conquer them. On the contrary, for 19 regional units -in which, notably, more than half of the country’s population resides- it has meant the “orange” and the “red” alarm. Fatal in Kozani and Kastoria that are under lockdown, in addition to the prohibition of traffic at night, the prohibition of movement outside the borders of the regional unit where the measures are applied. 
And although the “travel ban” only applies to areas that have been included in level 4 “Greater risk”, on the table is the proposal to extend this measure to areas located in level 3 “Greater vigilance”, among them the Attica, Thessaloniki, Achaia and Heraklion. The example of Central Macedonia is indicative, as the epidemiological burden is recorded as “heavy” in Thessaloniki and Serres, while, for example, Veria and Katerini remain in the yellow zones. The appeal directed by the Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias to the residents of the area in view of the next festive days (Agios Dimitrios festival and October 28) is indicative of those who come in case the citizens do not show discipline, in the face of criticism . country. “We have to pay attention to any movement. 
Because transporting the viral load to a wider region, be it neighboring areas or any journey, I think it will be disastrous. “So, definitely pay close attention to the movements,” he said characteristically. However, according to the information, the next 24 hours will be another crash test, with experts evaluating the need to use the reserves of the available toolbox, while other possible changes in the state of the “red” areas are processed, such as the possible release of Retail.
National boundaries
At the same time, better coordination of national border policies at European level is being sought, so that last spring the isolation situation of spring does not suddenly return to the EU. The issue, and in particular the temporary restriction of unnecessary travel to the EU along with the tracking of cross-border contacts and quarantine arrangements, will surely be on the table at the 27-member table in Brussels next Thursday.
The information indicates that on October 29 Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his counterparts will discuss a broader package of issues for the management of the health crisis, which will be approved by the Commission the day before.
It is clear that border policy remains the responsibility of each Member State, and the European Commission, which since the beginning of the health crisis has tried, but without much success, joint coordination, will adhere to the “guidelines” that they are fighting for. uniformity. At the moment, the Greek government is on hold and does not yet have a general intervention in the pipeline, although ρέ additions and subtractions χω countries on the list of flight delays to the country should be expected, while the EU is working on changes in the list of permitted flights from third countries. 
The 27-member consultations will open a series of regular teleconferences in the coming months focused exclusively on the pandemic, an insight German Chancellor Angela Merkel shared with her counterparts at the summit a few days ago. European actors point to the need to avoid anything that threatens further economic turmoil, but it is difficult to rule out the way in which Member States will decide to manage their borders in the face of a resurgence of the pandemic. An illustrative (and obviously worrying) example is Hungary, which officially announced its return to springtime conditions in early autumn, sealing its borders to foreigners regardless of their country of origin, with few exceptions.
Hence the growing number of European voices (commissioners, etc.) for greater and timely coordination in the direction of protecting the “right to free movement”. However, the Commission has already proposed to examine common criteria before governments’ decisions to impose restrictions on travelers, while the Re-open EU platform is in operation: an interactive map with applicable national measures, information on visitors from each country and .λπ.
Martha Kaitanidi
Eleni Evangelodimou
Source: PRINTED VERSION NEWS
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