Travelling to Thassos under Coronavirus
martynnicholls
Member Posts: 9
My wife and I own a flat and live in Palio, just outside Kavala. We own land on Thassos which we like to visit periodically mainly to ensure that fences are OK and no one is trying to abuse it. Would we be allowed on a ferry boat to visit during the current Coronavirus shut-down.
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Welcome and thank you for posting on Go-Thassos!
Gregory is right. Only residents of the island are allowed to board the ferry after showing proof of residency. Typically a photo ID and an official tax document (E1, for example).
Since Greece is currently under lockdown, people are required to avoid non-essential travel. For a property owner who wants to check on their land, I don't know if this falls under the essential travel category. I'm kind of doubtful, to be honest.
I recommend calling the local police station and/or the port authority for advice.
Police Station in Limenas: 25930 22500
Port Authority in Keramoti: 25910 51204
Personally, I recommend everybody to limit their travel for their own well-being. As Gregory mentioned, we don't have any reported cases on Thassos but there are no guarantees in this situation. The virus is invisible and highly contagious.
The best we can do is stay home and follow the recommendations of the health ministry and our government for as long as it takes.
This will all be over sooner if we keep the spread low in the next few weeks. Greece has done a phenomenal job containing the spread thanks to the measures, so we should feel optimistic and double-down our efforts!
As you said, Thassos and Greece need tourism to survive, which is why we took serious measures much earlier than other countries. We're trying to keep Greece a safe destination for this summer. At the end of the day, we're all in this together and hopefully, other countries will also be ready this summer to open their borders for travel.
Until then, let's all focus on keeping ourselves and each other healthy so we can enjoy Thassos together this summer!
Thank you so much for your solidarity!
You're right. There are so many families whose livelihoods depend on tourism on Thassos and in Greece as a whole. I'm only one of them.
We're concerned, like you, about the future and we're eagerly waiting for positive developments that will bring more smiles to everyone's faces.
The best we all can do right now is to trust our authorities and the experts' advice, follow their guidelines for staying safe and, this next bit is very important, think positive and not let the bad news overcome us with worry and grief.
Our immune systems are our strongest weapons against covid-19 and having a positive attitude will help keep our natural defenses strong. I promise! Tell this to all of your friends and family.
So no matter how difficult things appear to be, just know that they will get better for us all. And when they do, we'll be eagerly waiting for you on Thassos!
I'm happy to be able to tell you that Greece is still faring well in the fight against covid-19. Thassos has had 0 cases.
The Greeks are about to be challenged during the festive Easter season. Orthodox Easter is on April 19 when some of the biggest traditions in Greece happen. People typically leave the cities and go to the islands and countryside villages to celebrate.
That won't be allowed this year because Greece is under lockdown until 27 April, which might be extended. The government will be taking extra measures in the next 10 days to ensure people stay home for Easter.
It's a big personal sacrifice for the Greeks because Easter is the most important day of the year and people hold it very close to their hearts.
However, they seem to be largely accepting the sacrifice that needs to be made, putting the health and safety of everyone first.
I'm personally going to really miss being with family and friends, sharing home-made food, strong drinks and many laughs. I'll especially miss the "Lamb Souvla", which is traditionally done on Easter day, consisting of an open fire with a lamb rotating on a spit. Just thinking about it is making me salivate!
I haven’t seen my eldest daughter for 3 weeks and I’m finding it really difficult as we see each other 3-4 times a week. And this will be my first Easter without her and her husband. I’m just glad I have my dog ... oh and the other two still live at home 😂
Xxx
Hang in there, tonyb! This pandemic will end as everything else did that came before it. Stay safe and try to avoid news overload.
I realized that on some days when I consumed too much news, my psyche took a serious toll as I observed a dire situation over which I have no control. On days when I intentionally limit news intake and put my mind towards constructive things that I have more control over, I feel so much better and, a bonus, time flies. I suggest doing things throughout the day that keep you feeling in control. We can't control the big things happening but there are plenty of little things around us that we can turn our focus towards.
It's hard to see it from where we are standing now but there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, let's also try to set the right expectations for ourselves and avoid disappointment down the road. We know that life will be different for a time period even after the lockdowns have concluded but that's ok. We just need to remind ourselves about our awesome ability to adapt. We might not necessarily enjoy it but we've been doing it for our entire lives and we're really good at it!
Greece is still doing incredibly well with its coronavirus response. We are still under a very strict lockdown which is expected to be extended until May 10. People are making heroic efforts every day to stay home and follow the rules even as Spring and Easter are upon us. Thanks to so many people's efforts, we see new covid-19 cases dropping and, most importantly, few lives are being taken from us.
Where there's life, there's light. Where there's light, there's a way!
Just wanted to share these 2 articles with you:
- Greece ‘best performing’ country in Europe in containing virus
- Greece doing ‘amazing job’ in coronavirus fight, says respected historian
For a country that is historically known to lag behind most others on so many issues, to respond this well in such unprecedented and challenging times... I'm feeling very proud of Greece today!We might suffer more economically due to the tough measures we took very early, which demanded a lot of personal sacrifice from every single person, but I believe this comes to show how Greece is a country that values people and life above everything else.
Μπράβο, Ελλάδα μου! Μπράβο!!
I think Greece has done things right for Greece but there are so many factors involved for each country to have to deal with this virus. For Greece it has happened at the right time for a lock down and not in the major tourist season but not sure what happens next.
London where in the UK it first went rampant has 9 million people from all over the world. Chinese coming back from the Chinese New Year and visitors from lots of other countries. Lock down without plans would leave people starving and in real difficulty. The scientific model our government used would have been fed facts of what an early lock down would have caused.
Population and the density of people in areas is a big factor of the spread of this virus and tracking the sources of positive cases impossible.
I think our government has made mistakes with the lack of protective equipment and lack of testing available. Also leaving the elderly people in care homes without a sealed in staff was going to leave the most vulnerable open to catching it. The London Underground was a breeding ground for this virus with people shoulder to shoulder in carriages.
Just hope that vaccine is found soon
I've walked up by the Blue Bay number of times in past when camera was on pole in garden. I did not walk up last year but took attached photo with camera on roof. As this year's visit looks increasingly doubtful hopefully next year I can return and shake your hand. Best regards Steve
You're right. If this pandemic happened in the middle of the summer during the tourist season, when millions of people are coming and going from across the world (much like how London is like year-round), the virus would have been much more difficult for Greece to contain. We really got lucky with the timing.
Nice photo.
We climbed the roof and gave it a good scrub on Saturday to ensure you have a clear view of Golden Beach.
We'll do everything we can to keep this window wide open for you to peek through until you can return. I look forward to tapping your elbow when you're here!
Because handshakes are so 2019.
Many thanks for sharing your news. It's sad that your pre-existing plans were canceled but perhaps you won't need to give up your holiday in Thassos this year, entirely.
Greece is working on a plan to ensure we can safely welcome Europeans from July and onwards. I would expect the UK will be included in this scheme even though it's technically not a part of the EU.
Article: Greece Examining Idea of ‘Health Passport’ to Save Tourism Season from Covid-19
I just can't see how this will work but will wait for the Governments solution
As you pointed out, many questions remain unanswered and I believe we're banking on coronavirus tests becoming rapid and more accurate in the months to come.
Perhaps this idea could only be feasible with technology and facilities that are currently being developed and not yet available?
The whole world is devoting huge amounts of resources towards this problem and countries are racing to develop better tests, treatments, and vaccines. I believe the missing pieces of this puzzle are still under development.
Yesterday, after 42 days of continuous losing some people every day, was the first day with 0 deaths.
The new cases were only 7 all over Greece in the last 24 hours.
The Greek government has taken all measures to kill coronavirus.
The measures are stringent, and every time there is a new case, there is almost a military reaction to limit any spread.
The people are very careful, and for the first time they have obeyed the suggestions of the State.
There will be extra measures for the tourists that want to visit Greece. We are going to hear from them very soon. Tourism for Greece is very important and they are going to do everything possible to be in the best state when the summer comes.
For sure the heat is going to be on our side as the virus does not like it at all.
I am sure all visitors will have a great time here and they will remember Thassos at its best.