People sitting at tables outside, in restaurants, eateries, and cafes, sipping their coffee or having a snack, were encouraging images on Easter Monday in Athens and across Greece after a long time of lockdown, marking the first day of more relaxed Covid-19 measures as the country tries to return to normalcy.

The restaurants and cafes will remain open until 22:45 from today, while self-tests for staff and customers are mandatory.

This first step is accompanied by several limitations. Takeaway services will be prohibited while restaurants remain closed. However, companies will be able to continue to offer the delivery service, with the exception of the distribution of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, spirits) or cocktails.

Regarding the operating conditions of the stores, customers will be allowed to sit only outdoors. Standing customers will not be allowed. Up to six people can sit at each table and there should be disinfectants on the tables. The distances between the tables will be the following: a) the minimum distance between them is set at 0.90 m when the space between two tables has no chair on either side of them, B) when a chair is placed on either side of the tables, then the minimum distance between them is set at 1.20 m., and c) when a chair is placed on both the tables, then the minimum distance between them is set at 1.80 m. The maximum permissible number will not be set at the same time per square metre, as was the case last year when the restaurant opened in late May. Only seated patrons will be allowed at bars – up to two stools are allowed side by side. The next pair of stools should be 1.5 m away. Catering workers will have to take a self-test twice a week. The cost for one will be covered by the state, while for the other by the employer. The use of a mask will be mandatory for employees, but also for customers while waiting in the restaurant. There is also a strong recommendation for a mask for seated customers. As for the menus, they should be disinfected when changing customers at the tables.