Islands want to self-isolate
Local authorities, especially on the Greek islands and in regions far from large urban centers, are calling on the government to take further measures to ban the unnecessary movement of people within the country to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Given that the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 continue to rise, the calls come amid local authorities’ mounting concerns as to how to best handle the situation, as well as how compliant residents will be with the emergency measures issued by the government.
To this end, many islands have already asked that non-locals stay away in order to protect residents from the coronavirus.
This includes reducing passenger ferry services, which is a joint demand by the regional governor of the Southern Aegean, Giorgos Hatzimarkos, and the president of the Regional Union of Municipalities of the Southern Aegean, Vassilis Kambourakis, and by all the islands of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese.
“We are really asking for the ‘We Stay Home’ measure and nothing more. To restrict travel to the islands as much as possible, because if you get sick it is very difficult to handle, especially if someone gets severely ill,” Hatzimarkos told Kathimerini.
Both he and Kambourakis sent a letter to the prime minister requesting that ship routes to and from the islands be drastically reduced, apart from those that supply the islands with necessities.
