Coronavirus Diary: life in Athens in times of (another) crisis, Day 26

As of 6pm, local time, Athens:

# of confirmed cases: 1,613 (99 new cases since yesterday)

Of this 1,613: 335 are from people who traveled abroad, 563 from contact with infected person

# of deaths: 59

# of people in hospital ICU: 92

# of people tested: 22,437

Thursday, April 2. As of 6pm, local time, Athens:

# of confirmed cases: 169 (27 new cases since yesterday, plus 119 from ferry, plus 23 in Ritsona refugee camp)

# of deaths: 53

# of people in hospital ICU: 91

# of people tested: 18,844

***

Day 26 of staying home

A recap of some of the announcements over the past two days:

Ritsona refugee camp on Evia – so far 23 people have tested positive (showing no symptoms), all staff has tested negative and the camp has been quarantined for two weeks. There are over 2,500 residents at the camp.

Eleftherios Venizelos passenger ferry – currently docked at the port of Piraeus, the ship was transferring workers from Turkey to Spain and carried 383 passengers and crew, including 36 Greeks. So far 119 people tested positive, and they remain onboard in quarantine (with mild symptoms), receiving medical attention. The remaining passengers who tested negative are being evacuated and quarantined at a hotel for 14 days, then repatriated, in an operation managed by authorities.

Yesterday the first confirmed case on the island of Mykonos was reported, (a 63-yr old woman) and all construction sites (both private and public works) have been suspended for the next two weeks. Residents are urged to remain indoors, and only go out for valid reasons.

Swimming, water sports and spearfishing are now prohibited in Greece, the land of sun and sea…

In the briefings, each time Tsiodras announces the new statistics, for Greece and worldwide, he underlines the fact that these are not mere numbers, but lives. He discussed results and findings of scientific research on the virus. He also talked about children during this time and how important it is to reassure them and have age-appropriate conversations with them about what is happening.

March 16 meeting

The Holy Synod, the Greek Orthodox Church’s ruling body, held a meeting once again, on April 1. Last time they met was on March 16, when, after being briefed by an infectious disease expert from the health ministry, they decided that it would be sound to keep churches open and ‘only’ perform Sunday services, and allow Holy Communion. Shortly afterwards the prime minister over-ruled them and services were suspended, but churches remained open for individual prayer only. 

This time around, the Holy Synod’s gathering took place via e-meeting, keeping in line with the new social distancing measures. How’s that for modernizing? (However, I can’t decide which photo is more spooky.) After the meeting a statement was released:

April 1 meeting

“…we emphasize with great pain… that during Holy Week and the Resurrection of the Lord, we will call upon all members of the Church to experience unprecedented situations, abstain from services, the Divine Liturgy, and from receiving Holy Communion…”

And it was decided that beginning on Palm Sunday, April 12, Holy Week and Easter services will be held behind closed church doors, without any parishioners. The services will be broadcast on TV.

In today’s 6pm briefing, Tsiodras stated that health workers visited the Athens Nursing Home for the Elderly, and offered staff training and supplies.

He also noted that studies have shown that dogs cannot contract the virus, but cats were found to contract very small traces of it, however not enough to infect humans. He stressed that our pets are not endangering our health and there is no reason to abandon pets, something that was reported to have occurred in other countries.

Hardalias announced that more waterfront pedestrian areas in the cities of Patras and Volos are completely shut down, (same rules apply to Thessaloniki waterfront shutdown), only open from 8am-2pm, Mon to Fri.

In addition, five health centers in Attica will be open 24/7 to receive people with respiratory and other symptoms, who wish to be checked. Staff will use protective gear and follow all protocols. In the coming days, similar health centers will open across Greece, in urban centers. This is being done in an effort to decrease traffic in the designated coronavirus hospitals. It is stressed that all medical treatment for coronavirus is offered free to all.

Tsiodras also expressed his reserved optimism about the situation. He stated that our response is starting to show optimistic results, and that all of our efforts -people adhering to strict measures by staying home, the efforts of health workers, etc- are paying off, and showing a clear indication that what we’re doing is working. But he also warned that things can quickly turn to the worst if we don’t continue to be vigilant. He underlined the fact that every day, every week they re-examine facts and re-assess plans and act accordingly. He stated that any changes to plans are based on scientific evidence.

***

Today the weather in Athens is dreary, drizzly, dull. It will remain like this for the next few days. Feeling restless and edgy, I had to get out. Last time I went out, was a few days ago. I went to the supermarket, and I wore a mask for the first time. It’s the kind of mask that construction guys wear, to keep out the dust and fumes. It pinched my cheeks and hurt my ears. It smelled weird.

So today, before I went out, this time just for a walk, I didn’t wear the mask. The last time I went out just for a walk, was two weeks ago, before the total lockdown, when I triumphantly found the last remaining souvlaki place that was open.

Now, before going out, I filled out the required form, checking off one of the six approved reasons for being out. I checked off reason #6: “brief outing, near the vicinity of my home, for individual physical exercise (excluding any group sporting activity) OR to walk a pet” and then added my name, address, time I left the house, and my signature. ID in my wallet, hand sanitizer in my pocket. Ready.

I purposely did not take an umbrella with me. I wanted to feel the light drizzle on my face. I wanted to feel the outdoors.

It was an odd sensation just to be walking on the street. I looked around, as if I was seeing details of my neighborhood for the first time. I felt almost lost, in search of something but I didn’t know what.

I saw this flyer for a missing cat. It says, (in all caps): LOST CAT. RIGHT FRONT LEG IS INJURED. IT IS GRAY & WHITE, LIKE IN THE DRAWING BUT WITHOUT BLACK MARKINGS. IT’S BEEN INJURED FOR DAYS AND MUST BE FOUND.

Normally this is the type of thing I wouldn’t have paid much attention to. Images ran through my head of a wounded cat limping around, of kids crying and worried about their pet.

I wandered around aimlessly for about 45 minutes. I did not see the cat.  

The pharmacy near my house was open. Its metal grate was half closed, the door locked. Only a little window-hole was open, where customers could approach and tell the pharmacist what they wanted… I’ve been living on this street for 20 years. I’ve always noticed that peculiar window-hole on the glass front of the pharmacy. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen them using it.

Crossing the street, I went to one of my favorite take-out places for homecooked Greek dishes. They are always open, seven days a week, even in August. They’re always busy, it’s a family-run business, the father lived in the US in the 70s and had a diner there. We always chit chat, have a few laughs. When I got closer, I saw a sign on the door. Closed. The sign said: Opening on May 1^st! Thank you very much! Happy Easter with wishes for good health!

I kept walking, and even though the soft drizzle and cool air felt good, somehow I felt that even the street art was mocking me, or trying to give me some kind of a message: BLIND. Again, I’ve seen this before, painted on the wall overlooking an empty lot, but I’ve never really looked at it. I must’ve walked past it 100 times, it’s near my bus stop. What did we miss? What have we not noticed? What will we see in the coming weeks and months?

I walked on. The next thing that caught my attention also seemed to be telling me something, but what? This statue always struck me as creepy. It’s frightfully large. It depicts Metropolitan Chrisostomos Smyrnis, a notable Greek Orthodox cleric from Smyrna, Turkey. He was brutally killed in 1922 during the Asia Minor catastrophe. In 1993, the Church of Greece granted him sainthood.

With enormous black metal arms outstretched, perched on a marble pedestal, what is he doing? Offering a blessing? A warning? A joyful greeting? “Chriso-stomos” literally means one with a golden mouth, whose words are honest. There’s an everyday expression, a slang-ish phrase (πεσ’τα Χρυσόστομε!) or “tell it like it is, golden-mouth!” which is used to describe someone who speaks the truth, saying what others won’t dare to reveal.

The statue faces the main entrance to this area of Athens, and in the distance, looks out over busy Syggrou Ave, (a central road which links downtown Athens to Piraeus and the southern coast). He watches over everyone coming and going, leading their busy lives. What does he see? What is he telling us? What truth does he want to reveal? I searched his gigantic, unmoving face for a clue.

The day, dismal and gloomy. I felt like I was bumbling about, lost, seeking… Athens, this time, gave me just a trace of a hint. A soft hiss, barely audible.

It felt like a warning. This coronavirus that has swept into our lives, our worlds - has left us stripped bare. No one can hide from it. It is the truthsayer, revealing our failures, highlighting what is defective, exposing those who are dishonest, opening our eyes to realities we dared not see or speak.