❄️Snowy Updates in the Covid-19 era
Athens covered in snow, useful Covid-19 resources and why this feels like the worst time of the lockdown
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Hi there,
This is Pavlos from SantoriniSecrets.com with a regular update that I am planning to send only through email on Substack from now on.
I love the platform and I hope you don’t mind getting those emails, but if you do, you can always unsubscribe. No hard feelings!
So, here is an update:
To say that nobody actually knows what the situation will be next month (or probably next week) is an understatement for Greece and the whole of Europe really, in regards to Covid-19 rules and restrictions.
As I wrote last week, I predict that the greek government will actually relax the Covid-19 restrictions after April-May, so that it will allow hotels and businesses to operate even with a lot of restrictions and measures in place. It will be an economic catastrophe for the whole country if it remains shut for most of the summer. Tourism is the backbone of the greek economy and in this day and age, economy is put above people in many cases. Period.
To check the latest updates from the greek government on travel restrictions, you should bookmark this official website which is updated on a weekly basis:
So, to sum it up, if you want to travel to Greece tomorrow:
You need a 72-hrs old COVID-19 negative test from a certified laboratory
You need to fill out the PLF Electronic Form on travel.gov.gr
But even if you have those things, you won’t be able to move out of your hotel in Greece!
Greece is currently in a very strict lockdown and movements of inidividuals are only permitted in very few circumstances.
This is the website where you can read what is allowed and what is not allowed as of today:
It is trully a very difficult time for everyone and (surprisingly) my thoughts are not with the people who actually have to cancel their travel plans…(I am one of those too😥).
My thoughts are with the kids who are going through this.
I was recently reading this shocking article on BBC about the devastating effect the Covid-19 lockdown will have on kids of any age in the UK but I can easily see how this can be applied to every country that is going through a strict lockdown with closed schools and no social activities at all.
Trully shocking…!
Kids are some of the worst hit victims of this pandemic and the actual effects will only show up later on in their development and their mental health.
I also stumbled upon this (viral) tweet the other day:
which evidently showed we are actually going through the worst period of ths pandemic in regards to our mental health.
This is because of 4 main reasons in my opinion:
it’s still heavy winter in most parts of the world right now, so people cannot actually go outside much
we have already been through a year of lockdown and missed lots of birthdays, holidays and social interaction
there doesn’t seem to be any serious light at the end of the tunnel at the moment and the future still feels very uncertain
we all now start feeling the economc effects of the pandemc with many people losing their job, businesses having to shut down and financial instability becoming the new norm
So… if you feel horrible, you are not alone.
Speaking about winter though, Greece had heavy snow yesterday in most parts of the country!
These pictures may come as a surprise:
I am sure you were not expecting snow in Greece!
To my experience, people don’t necessarilly associate Greece with winter or freezing temperatures, but trust me: there are some pretty cold areas and towns in Greece!
That’s it from me today.
Don’t forget to share this newsetter if you know someone who would be interested in getting it regularly and feel free to comment below!
Have an awesome day, stay safe and keep dreaming!
Pavlos
Thank you Pavlos.
Thank you Pavlos for your very informative news.Still looking forward to my trip to Greece this year be it in May or if I have to change then September. Hope this finds you well and do keep in contact on a regular basis. Take care .Patrick.