Attica will enter a strict lockdown from tomorrow, Thursday at 6 am until February 28, in the Greek government’s efforts to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
The new measures to take effect from Thursday were outlined by the Secretary-General of Trade and Consumer Protection of the Ministry of Development and Investment, Panagiotis Stampoulidis. Mr. Stampoulidis started by saying that from tomorrow the ‘click away’ purchase method would no longer be in effect.
The operation of the retail stores would be completely suspended, while stores could only operate online or by phone with delivery to the consumer’s home.
Food stores, in general, were excluded from the total ban, such as supermarkets (the ban on the sale of products belonging to designated categories in suspension will be maintained, eg cokes, clothes), grocery stores, bakeries, butchers, fishmongers, confectioneries. Also excluded are pharmacies, petrol stations, pet shops, laundries, and shops selling tobacco / vaporising products. These stores will be permitted, regardless of operating hours, to deliver products until 1 in the morning.
Exceptions also include telecommunications stores, which exclusively deal with device repair, bill payment and balance renewal, as well as wig and posit stores.
– The optical / hearing aid stores will continue to operate by appointment and the kiosks will be able to continue operating 24 hours a day.
The operation of the flower shops will be allowed next weekend with an appointment due to Valentine’s Day. They will operate with a ‘click away’ and ‘click inside’ with opening hours from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and respecting the rule of 1 person per 25 sq.m.
The operation of hairdressers, barbershops, beauty centers, and all kinds of personal hygiene and body care services (hair removal, ultraviolet and infrared treatment, manicures, pedicures, and nail care, etc.) is suspended. The services of dietary units are also suspended.
In terms of catering, stores will continue to operate with the method of delivery (package), package from the store (take away), and drive through (drive-through)
The open-air food markets will continue their operation with 50% participation of sellers, 3 metres distance between the points of sale and parallel markets.
Vehicle road-worthiness centres (KTEO) and car repair shops will continue their operation only with appointments that must be certified from the relevant list that they will maintain. Emergency vehicle breakdown or failures are excluded from the list. The maximum number of people waiting is set at nine people.
The operation hour schedule is set as follows:
The opening hours of the stores can start at 7.00 and end at 20.30 on weekdays. On weekends from 7.00 to 17.30.
On Sundays, only bakeries, patisseries, grocery stores, and supermarkets can operate exclusively for online ordering.
Pharmacies and gas stations will operate according to the current regime (on-call sharing, overnight stays, etc.). The kiosks can also be open 24 hours a day.
Consumers will have two hours to complete their purchases once they have received a travel authorisation SMS from 13033 or the relevant travel form.
