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Greece to Lift Music Ban at Restaurants and Cafes on June 12, Abolish Curfew in July
Posted On 09 Jun 2021
Greece will lift its ban on music at restaurants, bars and cafes as of Saturday, June 12, Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias said on Wednesday.
Speaking during the Health Ministry’s media briefing, Hardalias said that Greece’s epidemiological data allows for the further lifting of measures taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) .
“Without this meaning that the pandemic is over,” the deputy minister stressed and clarified that music will be allowed to play only in outdoor areas of food & beverage (F&B) venues that host seated customers. Those that disobey the measure will be fined 5,000 euros for the first violation and then suspension of operation for 15 days in any second violation.
It is reminded that health experts had recommended for music not to be played in F&B establishments so customers would not be forced to speak louder, an action said to produce enough droplets to transmit the coronavirus to those around them.
Curfew will shorten this month, Stop in July
Hardalias further announced that as of June 12 the nationwide night curfew will shorten by one hour and be in force between 01:30-05:00 (from 00:30-05:00).
He added that the curfew will remain in place until July 1 on the condition that the epidemiological data allow it to be abolished.
The deputy minister also announced that from June 12:
– restaurants and other F&B establishments in ventilated galleries will be allowed to operate, under the condition that they have separate entrance and exit doors (to avoid congestion).
– the audience capacity for venues hosting live shows and theatre performances in outdoor spaces will increase from 50 percent to 75 percent when the venue has a capacity to seat up to 1,000 people; to 70 percent for up to 5,000 seats; and to 65 percent for up to 15,000 seats. Venues with a capacity for over 15,000 guests can strictly host up to 10,000 people. In all cases mask wearing is mandatory.
Also, from July the limit of guests at weddings and baptisms will rise from 100 to 300.
With regard to local street fairs, Hardalias said they will be allowed to operate only in the regional units where the percentage of vaccinated residents is from 50 percent and above.
He also said that stores selling mobile phones in areas that cover 100 square meters can service up to 4 customers at the same time.
The Hellenic National Public Health Organization (EODY) on Wednesday announced 890 new coronavirus cases and 15 deaths. The number of intubated patients in Greece’s ICUs is 381, according to EODY.
Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country has reached 412,420. The Covid-19 death toll in Greece is 12,346.
Forget Greece this year. Too many restrictions, not enough jabs.
Well I do not understand much of this! Separate entrance and exit for a F&B establishment?? What is a local street fair? Is it a farmers’ market? Oh! is the deputy minister saying that we can eat inside provided there is no music?
A local street fair is something tied to saints’ days. Big churches have them. For instance, I live near Prophet Elias church. Once a year, at the day dedicated to Prophet Elias and the day before, there is a big street market in all the neighbouring streets, from sunset to about midnight, with kerosene lamps. On both sides of the streets there are stalls. They sell trinkets, jewellery, clothes, kitchen items, bed linen, socks (the elastic will be dead after one wash), underwear (from granny style to sexy), hammers, knives, scissors, sieves, phone covers, bellydance hip scarves, toys and everything in between. Also souvlaki and sweets like loukoumades (fried in oil that has to be inherited by your great-grandfather and is now near black), in case you get hungry.
Low prices and low quality. But it’s fun to browse. The thing is that since the streets are sometimes not very wide to begin with, and there are stalls on both sides, the “corridor” in the middle is really narrow and it gets so crowded you have to elbow your way to pass.
Farmers’ markets have the same setup, but they are nowhere that crowded.