New restrictions as Greece enters lockdown on Saturday; back to the SMS messaging system

At a press conference with related ministers, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias detailed the restrictions of public travel outside homes and workplaces, which should be limited to the absolute minimum and include either permission through the text messaging (SMS) to number 13033, or documentation issued by employers or primary school principals, among others.

Directions and forms to be filled out by those unable to send SMSs were available, Hardalias said, through the government site of forma.gov.gr.

Some of the restrictions announced by the deputy minister include the following (as of Saturday, unless otherwise noted):

• - Travel between prefectures is banned.
• - Entry to Greece by air or land is allowed only after a negative PCR test, while those travelling abroad will also be required to supply a negative PCR test. Those entering Greece by air should have done the test 48 hours before departure, at most, while those coming by land 72 hours before departure. He said that for overland crossing into Greece there will be a five-day transitional period before the measure is introduced, while for those travelling by air, the measure goes into effect on Monday. More details will follow on Friday, he said.
• - Special education schools and primary schools will remain open; all the rest will use e-learning platforms.
• - Hairdressers and barbers will be able to operate exceptionally (and only if the owners wish so) on Saturday and Sunday, before going on lockdown on Monday.
• - Food deliveries and takeaways are acceptable, but picking up food must not serve as the reason to go out per se.
• - Most retail stores except supermarkets and such local markets will shut down. Retail store sections dealing with e-orders and deliveries will operate as usual.

As Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis announced earlier, and Hardalias repeated, the public will once again be asked to use text messaging (SMSs) to provide a reason for their movements outside their homes.

As of Saturday morning at 6:00, citizens are required to send an SMS to 13033 on their mobile phones before leaving their house, citing the specific reason for going outside, or fill out a related form by hand.

The SMS should be formatted as follows: X, name, surname and address, where X should be one of the digits 1-6 corresponding to the activities below.

1. Visit to a pharmacy or visit to a doctor if necessary
2. Visit to a supermarket or stores for essential supplies
3. Visit to a bank if e-banking transactions are not possible
4. Visit to people needing assistance or escorting children to and from school
5. Attending a funeral, as per the conditions provided by the law, or visiting children in case of divorced parents
6. Physical exercise outdoors or up to two persons taking their pet for a walk while always observing a 1.5-metre distance.

"I am obliged to stress that during evening hours in particular, checks will be intensified and the reasons for movement at these hours should be limited to health, work, personal exercise or taking a pet out for a walk," Hardalias noted.