Ten countries from three continents, ten Greeks living the pandemic through different security measures, different restrictions and conditions of coping with the coronavirus health crisis.
From northern Europe to exotic Abu Dhabi, and from Italy, where the first cases of the virus occurred, to the land of Survivor, the measures and government decisions are being compared to those of Greece.
The ten people we contacted were all asked to answer a common 5-question questionnaire, each developing their answers according to what applies in the country they are in in 2021.
The five questions they were asked were:
1) Do you send text messages when you leave the house?;
2) Is there a curfew?;
3) Which shops/services are closed?;
4) Are moves to other areas prohibited?;
5) Do you have any other prohibition measures that do not apply in Greece? Anything different?;
Their responses show how much variation there has been in 10 different countries, even neighbouring countries, in their response to the pandemic, particularly in terms of containment measures through government decisions and central strategy.
Gifts, Sweden
1) Do you send text messages when you leave the house?;
No.
2) Is there a curfew?;
No.
3) Which shops are closed?;
Everything is open.
4) Are moves to other areas prohibited?;
No.
5) Do you have any other prohibition measures that do not apply in Greece? Anything different?;
I can't think of anything that isn't true in Greece.
Painting Nystazou Chemical engineer, Shank Galen, Switzerland
1) No.
2) No.
3) Restaurants, bars, gyms are closed
4) No.
5) Mandatory home office and universities only with remote learning. I think the other schools are open.
Natalia, Abu Dhabi, UAE
1) No, no such measure has been applied in the UAE.
2) The curfew is not in force at the moment. Residents are allowed to move around the city without restrictions. However, the use of masks is still mandatory.
The curfew was implemented from March 2020 to June 2020.
3) The shops are not closed. The same is true of the food centres, the gyms and all the schools. However, no more than 4 people are allowed to sit at the same table (catering centres).
4) Travel is not prohibited. However, if a person wishes to move to another city, he or she is required to take 3 coronavirus tests on return with a certain number of days between each one.
5) No.
George, Dominican Republic
1) No, no sms
2) There is a curfew in the evening after 20.00. Of course this is often changed and even on holiday days traffic is banned after 12.00 noon. Before that time you can drive freely.
3) a. clubs, theatres, cinemas are closed. b. Bars, restaurants, cafes are open with a limitation of people and with observance of measures. c. All others are open.
4) Not at the moment. There were some short periods last year when some specific areas with many outbreaks were isolated, but generally free movement (always within time limits).
5) Nothing special compared to Greece. Distances, masks etc. But some basic notes.
α) On tourist areas with the risort, things are much more relaxed.
b) There is no quarantine to enter the country as a tourist. Instead to attract tourism, promise health insurance to tourists.
c) In all of the above you have to take into account that we are talking about a borderline third world country. Which means hospitals with huge problems and measures that are only observed when the police are looking. Of course this results in outbreaks that are never recorded and deaths in homes.
Imagine until a few months ago there weren't even enough tests. Not even for doctors, let alone the general population (not even privately).
They just clearly tried to keep everything as open as possible at whatever cost.
Natalia Katsimiga, private employee of a multinational company, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1) Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have not had to text to get out of the house. This is an outrageous measure...
2) We only have a curfew 22:00 in the evening to 04.30 in the morning. The the fine for offenders who are not outside for work or other serious reason is €95. However, there is room for negotiation and there is understanding on the part of the Authorities. The evening curfew started on 20 January 21 and initially concerned hours 08:30-04:30 but they pushed it to 22:00 after the time change one of the reasons was not to create a problem for the Muslim community because of Ramadan, which they celebrate in April.
In the meantime, people have held dozens of marches against the measure and the Hague court ruled that the ban lacked legitimacy and the government was asked to support its implementation as one of the court's arguments was how the effectiveness of curfew as a measure has not been proven.
3) It is easier to say which ones are open: supermarkets, mini markets, bakeries and shops that also sell pharmacy products - even alternative medicine - such as chains like Etos, Kruidvat, Holland & Barret remained open during the two waves. Coffee shops although closed for a short period in the first wave have since remained open but only for takeaway.
The retail shop, which had been closed since December, is now open, but you can only visit the shops by appointment, which you can book online or by phone. You then have 20 minutes to 1 hour depending on the store to do your shopping normally. Recently contact professions have also opened up.
The focus is not open. Outdoor cafés and restaurants were due to open in early April, but due to a rise in cases it did not go ahead. The horeca remains largely closed.
4) Travel to other areas is not prohibited although there is a strong recommendation that this should only be for serious reasons or work. They don't stop you to ask where you are going, of course! What is banned is foreign holidays until the end of May and look forward to the summer ones.
5) The mask is only mandatory in public transport, shops and crowded places. Without it, first there is a recommendation from the competent authorities and only if you stubbornly refuse to wear it there is a fine of 95 €. This is only for teenagers over 13 of course. However, teenagers aged 13-17 are not bound by the 1.5 metre distance measure to encourage communication.
Also the proposal to work from home has been accepted by the vast majority of companies. Of course there was the infrastructure to make it possible.
The biggest difference with Greece, however, is not in the measures but in the way they are implemented: They are in no hurry to drop the fine here. They will be preceded by recommendations. They're not interested in terrorizing people but in people acting responsibly on their own. And the even bigger difference is that the state not only asks but also gives: 200 ICUs and 600 beds were added since the “end” of the first wave with the corresponding qualified personnel. Test centres have been opened one after the other since then. Now you can also buy them from vending machines at major metro stops.
Sylvia, private tourist employee, Florence, Italy
1) No.
2) 22.00 - 05.00 in the morning.
3) In the orange zone all shops are open with a number of people depending on the square meters, restaurants and cafes only take away and delivery, in the yellow zone restaurants and cafes open for eating up to 4 people at the table and until 17.00 then only delivery. .
After 22.00 you can go out for health reasons to go to the pharmacy for example for work or for a serious matter. No dog walking either. The fine is €1000.
To drive in a red zone, you only need to have an affidavit with you, of course, and if you don't have it, the police officers will give it to you to fill in.
4) With travel it's a bit more complicated, in the red zone you can't go to other municipalities but you can if you have a holiday home. In the orange zone you can move between municipalities but not between prefectures.
Of course, if you take a train or a plane, the control is minimal. On the train you only need to make a declaration that you are going, why and that you have no symptoms.
5) Every two weeks they look at what zones each county will be in. And if you become a red zone, you stay red for two weeks. Same with the other zones.
Also on the buses up to a number of people can get on the buses. One door is closed when they go up and the other when they come down.
You can only move once to go to a friend's house for Easter, only within the county. Also for Catholic Easter and Easter Monday, in Tuscany where I am, all over the county everything is closed from shops except restaurants for deli, take away and pharmacies.
For the vaccines, they are age-specific, depending on the age if you have not already been invited you can sign up for a list and if someone doesn't show up for an appointment, you're invited to go. But you have to be there within 20 minutes.
Valantis Athanasiou, private employee in tourism, Cyprus
1) 2 sms a day on weekdays and 3 on weekends. We have 9 moving codes.
2) From 11 o'clock at night.
3) It's complicated. At the end of March, restaurants/bars etc. opened, but only outdoors, many chose not to open at all.
4) Before they used to put local lockdowns on cities, now they don't, the future will tell.
5) We had in Limassol and Paphos because the cases had gone up, from the 2 provinces they couldn't go anywhere else, now there is no more.
Also this weekend Russian and Israeli tourists started to arrive. With Israel, if they made all 2 installments they come without any more control, because we made a deal with Netanyahu.
Rents are not falling, very important here, especially for businesses.
Vicky Panaw, Düsseldorf, Germany
1) We have never had SMS or written statements since the beginning of the pandemic in any of the 16 different German states.
2) There are differences depending on the cities and states. Some cities have curfew after 18.00, some after 20.00 and some after 21.00. The ban started from Christmas until mid-February and now some cities have reintroduced it.
3) Since the beginning of November, the catering (restaurants/cafes) is only open for takeaway, in those of its shops that are open, although there are few open.
Hairdressers, beauty salons, beauty salons, gyms are closed since the beginning of November, with a few days difference from Greece.
In the retail sector, until 8 March the click away measure was in force, while after 8 March the click and meet measure came into force. You make an appointment, you have a specific time and you can go shopping.
In small shops in the neighbourhood you can go outside the shop and give all your details, email, phone numbers etc. to get in.
4) Depending on the states and depending on the cities (with differences even between cities within the same state) there were decisions made by looking at the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In some cities there was a ban on travel of more than 15 km.
These days we can meet up to 2 families, up to 5 persons (children under 14 years old are not counted as persons). This Easter you couldn't move to different states. For work, movement is free and there are no special fines, mainly recommendations are made.
In all the forest parks, on a pan-German level, you can find up to 2 families, up to 5 people, but you can sit without a mask.
5) A new measure that is rumoured to be implemented after the Catholic Easter will be the ruhetage measure (something like a day off) in shops and will depend on whether or not the case rate exceeds 100 cases/100,000 inhabitants. There will be no option to click away or cilck and meet if it is over 100 cases.
Normally Merkel as chancellor has to contact all the state prime ministers, but because of the pandemic she has taken the liberty to make any decision she wants without consultation.
Gila, London, United Kingdom
1) No, we never texted. We can go out normally for our shopping, pharmacy and exercise.
2) There is no curfew, we can move normally at all hours but it is understood that guidance is only when there is a good reason.
3) Shops that do not already sell essential goods such as clothes, shoes, jewellery, etc., which will all open normally on 12/4/21. Also, the restaurant is open for takeaway only and they will also open on 12/4 for their outdoor areas.
4) They are allowed in cases where there is a good reason, such as work, etc. The Prime Minister is expected to make announcements regarding travel.
5) It is not mandatory to wear a mask outdoors.
Alexis, psychologist, Copenhagen, Denmark
1) We never have.
2) We never have.
3) Restaurant and retail (they do takeaway), and they're all opening next week.
4) Restrictions on travelling to other countries, we have never had restrictions on travelling to other areas within Denmark.
5) Generally as a recommendation once or twice a week a screening test (pcr or free rapid without an appointment and in many places), and now in the opening for some big parks or zoos etc, 72 hour test or vaccination or proof that you were positive 4-12 weeks ago.
