Not all Greeks welcome the abolition of the mask regime

The requirement to wear masks indoors is lifted on June 1, and most Greeks interviewed by journalists from Greek TV channels said they felt relieved that they no longer had to wear a mask.

“Freedom! Definitively!” the elderly man told state broadcaster ERT on Wednesday morning. The middle-aged woman also said she was happy about the removal of the mandatory wearing of masks.

As of June 1, Greeks no longer need to wear a mask when shopping in supermarkets and retail stores, or when enjoying coffee or lunch in air-conditioned cafes and restaurants.

However, they will still have to cover their faces when they use the city’s public transport or visit a medical facility or nursing home. In addition, it is recommended to wear a mask indoors and outdoors where there are a lot of people.

A friend told me she was surprised to see several shoppers at a nearby supermarket wearing a mask early Wednesday morning. And it wasn’t just the elderly. The same, more or less, was reported by a cousin who went to the outdoor market this morning (likes).

And now the question arises: are there really so many people frightened by the crown in the country? Everyone remembers well the stormy reaction when masks were put on for the first time 27 months ago. Now that the requirement has been lifted, they are once again ignoring government decisions and wearing masks… indoors and outdoors.

And yes, the inhabitants of this country have a distorted attitude, first of all, to the state, and then to the government – any government, that is. But in the end it’s all about free will, is not it? On social media, some even go so far as to call the government “irresponsible” for lifting the indoor mask requirement.

The fact is that the requirement to wear a mask outdoors has already been lifted since the beginning of May, and wearing a mask on the streets in hot summer temperatures is quite unpleasant. And yet I saw old and young on the street still wearing a mask.

Oddly enough, people don’t seem to bother with masks when they sit outside: in cafes and restaurants, in the surrounding squares for early evening conversation. And then there are usually no questions. But how to behave in a room where air circulation is not at its best, where there are no windows in shops and supermarkets? I assume that everyone behaves according to their own decision and free will. And no, wearing a mask should not impose a fine of 300 euros, no.

However, it should be kept in mind that some health experts have voiced their concerns about our summer without masks. Speaking to ERT today, a Greek professor who works in the US warned of “all strains of Covid-19 that will arrive in Greece from around the world with the opening of tourism.”

Covid-19 is still here, it hasn’t gone away, daily deaths are still in double digits, and 130 patients are still fighting for their lives, intubated in hospital intensive care units. And one of my acquaintances, a rather young and strong man, almost gave his soul to God the other day from an omicron.

It is worth noting that most of them are vaccinated, but as it turned out, this did not help them much.

One of the benefits of being 65 is that I’m eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. I got my first dose this week, and I feel great. Thank you to all of the scientists, trial participants, regulators, and frontline healthcare workers who got us to this point. pic.twitter.com/67SIfrG1Yd

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 22, 2021

Even the notorious Bill Gates has been ill with the coronavirus, and no one, I hope, doubts that he has access to the best medical care in the world …

The Hellenic Committee of Epidemiologists met on May 21 to decide on the use of masks on ships, ferries and taxis. The decision is expected later, June 1 on Wednesday.

The government said the lifting of the mask mandate would be in effect until September 15.

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