Greek Government Spokesperson Stelios Petsas on Monday announced new household gathering restrictions during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
No more than nine people (from two households) should gather in the same house, in order to avoid overcrowding.
“For the eve and on the day of Christmas and New Year, we recommend to all that these holidays should not be an occasion for crowding. In any case, it is not allowed for more than nine people from two households to gather in one house,” Petsas said.
Petsas reiterated that the nationwide night curfew from 10pm-5am will continue to apply until.
SMS 13033 for movement
All individuals residing in Greece will be required to send an SMS text message to 13033 in order to obtain permission to leave their homes during the lockdown.
The SMS to 13033 should be formatted as follows: X (one of the digits 1-6 corresponding to the activities below), name, surname and address.
The six reasons (you must SMS) are:
- Visit to a pharmacy or visit to a doctor if necessary
- Visit to a supermarket or stores for essential supplies
- Visit to a bank if e-banking transactions are not possible
- Visit to people needing assistance or escorting children to and from school
- Attending a funeral, as per the conditions provided by the law, or visiting children in case of divorced parents
- Physical exercise outdoors or up to two persons taking their pet for a walk while always observing a 1.5-metre distance.
Alternatively, individuals unable to send SMSs, can fill out the form by hand. There are two types of documents: Document A, which is filled out once by the person going to work, with name, home address, work address, and shift schedule. This will be provided by employers. Document B is for trips not related to work and must be filled out every time a citizen wishes to leave his or her house, instead of an SMS. It must contain name, home address, destination and reason for circulation.
Anyone leaving the house will have to carry a valid identification card or document with them.
Christmas Covid-19 Rules in Greece – Here’s what you need to know
Latest covid-19 numbers in Greece
Greece recorded 639 new cases of COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
This raises the total number of cases to 125,173.
5,126 are considered to be related to travel from abroad and 35,741 are related to an already known case.
Five hundred and fifty-eight individuals are in ICU. Their median age is 66 years, and 166 of them are women. 77.2% have an underlying condition or are aged 70 years and above.
A total of 732 patients have been discharged from ICUs since the start of the pandemic in Greece.
The country’s pandemic death toll stands at 3,687. The median age of all was 79 years and 95.7% of the deceased had an underlying condition and/or age of 70 years or more.
