On Monday, quarantine restrictions were lifted for travelers from most European countries, as well as Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The government hopes to restart the vital tourism season in mid-May. Restaurants and bars are closed and long-distance travel is not allowed. While many non-essential shops have been allowed to reopen, most schoolchildren still attend classes remotely. Greece, which has a population of under 11 million, has confirmed a total of nearly 320,000 cases and about 9,600 deaths, while some 850 people are intubated in intensive care units. The Church of Greece was prevailed upon to hold Easter services without public attendance last year, when daily COVID-19 infections were in the double digits - compared to about 3,800 recorded Tuesday - and the virus-related deaths reported daily were in the single digits, compared to 87 on Tuesday. In the bible, it is the day when Mary Magdalene found that an empty tomb in the cave in which Jesus had been placed following his death by crucifixion on the Friday before. It is the most significant religious holiday for the worlds roughly 300 million Orthodox Christians. Large crowds flock to Holy Week services, join in candle-lit mourning processions on Good Friday, and often rowdy Resurrection celebrations accompany church services at midnight on Holy Saturday. Orthodox Easter, also called Greek Easter is the principal festival of the Orthodox Church. Orthodox Easter is the most popular date on Greece’s religious calendar. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed the issue Monday at a meeting with the Church of Greece’s leader, Archbishop Ieronymos II. The decision is still subject to government approval. Services will also start earlier on other days during Holy Week, which starts Monday, and indoor attendance at Greece’s churches will be limited to one person per 25 square meters (270 square feet), reaching a maximum of 100. The timing would allow worshippers to be home in time for the 10 p.m. This year, services will start in church courtyards at 9 p.m. The Church’s governing body, the Holy Synod, said after a virtual meeting Tuesday that worshippers “must by no means be deprived of participation in the joy of the Resurrection,” normally celebrated with a midnight service late on Holy Saturday. Orthodox Easter services were canceled last year, when Greece had much fewer confirmed cases.Īt the same time, the center-right government is under pressure to lift travel restrictions ahead of the Easter holidays, while thousands of people in Athens have flouted infection-control restrictions by holding all-night open-air parties in city squares amid warm, spring weather.
The decision comes despite Greece reporting a high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, and as the country’s hospitals are struggling to treat unprecedented numbers of intubated patients. Shopping malls will reopen Saturday, while restaurants and cafes will be allowed to serve customers seated outdoors starting May 3.ATHENS, Greece (AP) - The powerful Church of Greece said Tuesday it would allow the faithful to take part in Orthodox Easter services next week but limit attendance and hold the services earlier in the day to conform with a government-imposed curfew. Services for the country's vital tourism industry will open on May 15, and many restrictions are being relaxed ahead of that date. The Easter dates also affect when Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost occur, consequently determining the liturgical year except the calendar of saints, feasts of the Annunciation and the nativities of St. Most restrictions, including school and store closures, have been in effect since early November when the overall death toll was still below 750. The pandemic has killed nearly 10,000 people in Greece. Our inspections will take place daily and around the clock,” Giorgos Yiaseranis, a police official in charge of highway security in greater Athens, told reporters at a checkpoint next to a toll station west of Athens. “Cars are being checked and people without the proper documentation (to justify non-essential travel) are being turned back to Athens.
due to curfew measures, while worshippers are being advised by the government to remain outdoors.Īdditional travel restrictions are in effect through May 10, with movement between different administrative regions of the country allowed only for specific work reasons, medical emergencies, funerals of close relatives, and parental visits for divorced and separated fathers of children under 18. The main Easter service next Saturday will be held three hours earlier, at 9:00 p.m. Churches were closed last Easter but will be allowed to remain open for this year's services, with seating restrictions and mandatory use of COVID-19 test kits for priests and church staff.
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