Expanded the possibility of using common areas for accommodation table space from restaurants without paying a fee to the respective municipality until 15 January 2023. The relevant provision is expected to be voted on today with an amendment to be included in the draft law of the Ministry of Health “Creation and organization of a legal entity in accordance with public law called the Union of Radiological Technologists – Radiation Therapy of Greece (ETAAE), measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic COVID- 19 and protection of public health and other provisions”. The extension will “expire” just one day before the expiration of the previous extension, which was also granted by the amendment.

Recall that since May 2020, restaurant owners have been allowed to place more seats at tables in common areas for free due to the pandemic. The special provision was intended to provide more space for catering establishments and to be able to observe the necessary distances that were introduced in connection with coronavirus.

Self management

Local government officials pushed for an extension, saying many areas would require a “military operation” and clashes with professionals to enforce the restriction as temperatures continue to rise. “It’s like telling a store: yesterday you could have 100 customers, and from today you will have 50,” the mayor of the tourist area notes. Many restaurant and cafe owners, especially in areas with a high flow of foreign visitors, have been urging mayors to “do their best” in recent days. Characteristically, the President of KEDE (Central Association of Greek Municipalities) Dimitris Papastergiou told K yesterday about this. that it would be good to extend this measure until March 31, 2023, so that the winter for catering establishments also ends, given the existing problems.

Background

It will be extremely difficult to make changes while the tourist season lasts, local rulers said during the discussion.

However, the filing of the amendment has important implications, as conflicting views appear to have been expressed within the government. According to the information, the responsible development ministry was working on scenarios for extending the measure until the end of the year, taking into account the lengthening of the tourist season. However, government officials advocated a return to the pre-COVID-19 situation, with derogations limited and cancelled. During the discussions held at TIF, the mayors stressed that the changes will be extremely difficult while the tourist season lasts.

The municipality of Athens, for its part, has limited the number of businesses that have received permission to expand free spaces in public spaces. “This year we have given permission to expand to 126 catering establishments and a significantly smaller area,” Vassilis Koromantos, Deputy Mayor of the Municipal Police and Public Spaces of the Municipality of Athens, told K. In 2020, immediately after the lifting of the first lockdown measures, 180 expansion permits were issued, in 2021, 293 permits were issued, and in 2022, 126 permits. The mayor of Athens himself Kostas Bakoyannis reports this to K. that, regardless of the decision of the central government, the municipality of Athens is moving towards freeing up public space.

The mayor of Heraklion describes this as a “difficult situation”. Vasilis Lambrinos an attempt to immediately change the arrangement of seats at the tables by catering enterprises. “We still have a lot of tourists in the city. We have a lot of people. Too many expansion permits have been issued,” he stresses, while acknowledging that due to COVID-19, many store owners “have themselves obtained permission and expanded.” The Heraklion municipal police force employs 18 people, but half of them are now on vacation, he adds.

“A little more time…”

“Let’s give restaurants a little more freedom. I think it would be premature to limit the use of public spaces and seating at tables while the temperature reaches 30 degrees Celsius. At the same time, with the opening of schools, we already have increased cases of coronavirus,” – points to “K” the mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas.. “Now the world has acquired other habits after two years of the corona virus. Both store owners and customers have learned differently, and returning to the previous situation will not be easy. It will take time,” he adds.