Mail from Greece: Here's how terraces and beaches work

Greece has opened its terraces and beaches for a few days, but for now, we are only talking about domestic tourism. Oana Cercel is 35 years old and has lived in Athens for 14 years. She is a pastry chef, but she also owns a studio apartment that she rents out as a hotel.

Sunbeds are disinfected after each customer

As the Romanian authorities are still struggling to approve a guide to measures, in Greece, the premises operate according to well-established rules. We asked Oana to tell us what measures the Greeks took for beaches and terraces when they allowed them to open. It is not excluded that these measures will remain valid when the Greek authorities allow access to foreign tourists.

"At the beach terraces, customers go to the bar and can order coffee, juices and food, but only what is packaged. (sandwiches, chips, etc.) Waiters do not serve customers at the sun loungers. The distance of 1,5m - 2m is maintained between customers. Those who wish can bring food or drinks from home. Having a minor child, for our health security, we took disinfectant and wet wipes from home, but there are several bottles of disinfectant at the bar, and whoever wants can disinfect themselves ," says Oana.

For those who own beaches, the rules are clear. " The sun loungers are disinfected by staff after each client. The distance between the umbrellas is 4 meters, and the sun loungers are tied so that we cannot put more than one under a single umbrella. The exception is those with children who can request an extra sun lounger," says Oana.

No thermal scanning on the beach or on the terraces

And since there is a whole debate about thermoscanning in Romania , here is what is happening on the beaches in Greece. "The temperature is not taken and there is no other procedure for those who come to the beach. On the equipped beaches, the number of people who can sit is equal to the number of sun loungers. Beaching on a towel is accepted, but on the beaches that are not equipped, so on those where the entrance fee is not paid".

And for those who have planned a vacation in Greece, Oana comes with extremely important information. “The Greeks have not increased prices, in fact, there is a discussion about reducing VAT for the hospitality sector.”