As of 6pm,
local time, Athens:
March 16: Day 8 of
staying in
# of confirmed
cases: 331
# of deaths: 4
# of people tested:
3,400
Testing for people who
do not have symptoms is not recommended.
|
May 3: Day 56 of
staying in
# of confirmed
cases: 2,626 (6 new cases since yesterday)
# of deaths:144 (+1 since yesterday)
# of people tested: 79,332
# of people in ICU: 37 |
This is where
we stood on March 16, when I started writing about the latest crisis to hit
Greece (and this time, the whole world), and this is where we stand today, the last day of lockdown. As I review the posts of the past eight
weeks, I see how much has shifted in such a short period.
On Day 9, while the prime minister and the Holy Synod were arguing about church closures, my tween neighbor was facing the new reality of being away from her friends. I
rejoiced on Day 12 as I discovered the only souvlaki shop which remained open in my
neighborhood. A few days later, I toasted myself with a cocktail for surviving 15 days of staying in. On Day 16, I discovered the gloriousness of sitting on my taratsa
in my favorite chair. On March 25, indoors, without fanfare and parades, we
celebrated Independence Day. On Day 20, after one of those early
stressed-filled visits to the market, I savored a glass of ginger ale, as a
wanderer lost in the desert might savor a drop of water. In April, on the
biggest religious holiday of the year, we stood on balconies holding candles,
witnessing the peculiar yet moving Easter celebration around us – united by our
separateness, our bewilderment, our need to feel hopeful. This year, the May 1st holiday
(Labor Day) was marked by a curious, peaceful rally in Syndagma Square, with
demonstrators social distantly-arranged with military-like precision.
 |
| my private taratsa beach |
 |
| tween angst |
Actual time
seems as if it’s passing by like a wave of molasses. Inch by slow inch it
creeps towards us, it encompasses us, we push through it, weighed down by its
thickness, exhausted by the struggle of our slow-motion movements, we surrender
as it engulfs us completely.
 |
| Independence Day |
But then again, strangely, in coronavirus time, a part of our mindset has sped up, and seems to be furiously racing.
Although the unbelievable-ness of it all has subsided, and a new normal has set in, as this week Greece takes its first steps towards re-opening, my mind is flooded and bombarded by thoughts, doubts, giddiness, cynicism, fatigue, caution, deliberations, expectations… Our wheels are spinning but we’re merely inching forward.
 |
| balcony celebration, Easter |
Last week, the
prime minister addressed the nation and announced a seven-phase plan of re-emergence which will begin on May
4. Each day they will reassess, and if everything goes smoothly, more shops,
services, etc will gradually re-open. Should a spike in cases occur, the
government will hit pause, restrictions will be back, and we’ll have to stay
home and wait again.
 |
| May Day rally |
But in practice
it will be very interesting to see how we handle this first of many phases to
come, and how the way we are supposed to live now will be monitored and
enforced.
In a recent
press briefing, Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos
Hardalias stated that “the spread of the virus has decreased but again, I want
to stress that the virus is still here and there is no vaccine or proven method
of treatment. This is why personal responsibility is our greatest weapon.”
He continued,
“We expect that all of the unions and political authorities, will, by their conduct,
reflect the realization that this year is different, and will contribute to the
protection of human lives.”
In the same
briefing, Health Ministry spokesman Dr
Sotiris Tsiodras reiterated
that, “A public health crisis affects all of us. Unfortunately, in certain
examples in other countries, there were incorrect estimations and wrong
decisions were made. I must stress that there is no system which can cope with
a mass increase of cases.”
So here we are.
Tomorrow on May 4, we’re about to begin the next chapter, the next battle of
this never-ending saga. Caught in a tide of molasses, trying to push forward, we’ve
realized that we’ll be stuck here for a very long time, but our minds keep
spinning and accelerating anyway.
(I leave you with some stolen and altered words from
Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act III, Scene I ) -
Once more unto the
breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close up the wall
with our Greek dead!
In peace there’s
nothing so becomes a man,
As modest stillness and
humility;
But when the blast of
coronavirus war blows in our faces,
Then imitate the action
of the responsible citizen:
Wear a big face mask,
put on plastic gloves,
Keeping
your distance, follow your spirit; and upon this charge,
Cry 'God for Tsiodras! Greece! and summer at the beach!'
Cry 'God for Tsiodras! Greece! and summer at the beach!'
 | ||||
| sanitizing the Greek Parliament ... |
 |
| ready, set, we're free... (for how long, though?) |
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