Shortly before New Year’s Eve: Guide to current measures – Travel, SMS, home meetings | HELLAS

The additional measures for the festive period take effect from today.

Christmas and New Year’s Eve this year will be completely different, as announced by the government and infectious disease specialists, with additional restrictions taking effect for both Christmas and New Years.

With experts concerned about an increase in cases during the Christmas season, additional measures have been decided, which are in effect as of today.

Basic measurements

In fact, both at Christmas and New Years, the measures that have been in place for a long time in the context of the blockade apply.

That is, the traffic ban is normally applied from 10:00 in the afternoon to 5:00 in the morning, with the exception of health, work and movement reasons with a pet at a short distance. For holidays there will be no additional exception, the same applies as in the previous days. In fact, police controls are expected to increase.

Today the children could not go out to listen to Christmas carols and the same will apply on New Year’s Eve.

The recommendation is that up to nine people from two families are at family tables, with experts emphasizing that it is good to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays as much as possible with the same people, so that the circle of contacts does not grow.

Those who wish to go to a friendly family New Year’s Eve party should send an SMS both on the driveway, using the code “6”, and on the way back, which should not be registered after 22:00.

What applies to churches

As for the churches, the liturgies will normally take place tomorrow, Christmas, but with restrictions.

Specifically, both at Christmas and New Years and the Lights the following measures will be applied:

• One person for every 15 square meters, with a distance of 2 meters between people in each direction within the temple.
• 25 people for parish churches, while in the case of metropolitan churches 50 people.
• Mandatory use of a protective mask in the place of worship.

Petsas: take action at Christmas, otherwise they come more strictly

It will also depend on how the measures are observed during the holidays, how we will spend the New Year, as government officials have warned of stricter measures on New Year’s Eve, if it is found that there is disorder at Christmas.

“If during Christmas Eve and on the day there are phenomena of non-compliance with the measures, there is a possibility that stricter measures will be imposed for the respective days of the new year,” said Stelios Petsas characteristically at a press conference to the media.

“The balances are very fragile and there is no room for experimentation, mistakes or risk. We want to move on after the holidays, not go back. We want to look to the future with optimism, as vaccination begins. We want, and can, be successful. Let’s try to be with the same people, at most with another family, at Christmas and New Years. Let’s not play with our lives and the lives of the people we love. Let’s play defense. “Much more now that the vaccine is coming and hope is not a wish, but a visible reality,” added the government spokesman.