Old mills are illuminated during the sunset in the Greek Cycladic island of Mykonos, on 13 May 2020. In Mykonos, at the start of the tourist season, the image is striking: the posh island traditionally crowded with wealthy foreigners has turned into a ghost island, offering visitors deserted alleys, boarded up shops, restaurants and abandoned hotels. Image:
ARIS MESSINIS / AFP
Old mills are illuminated during the sunset in the Greek Cycladic island of Mykonos, on 13 May 2020. In Mykonos, at the start of the tourist season, the image is striking: the posh island traditionally crowded with wealthy foreigners has turned into a ghost island, offering visitors deserted alleys, boarded up shops, restaurants and abandoned hotels. Image:
ARIS MESSINIS / AFP
The measures include a curfew from 01:00 to 06:00 and a ban on Mykonos bars, clubs and restaurants from playing music, and are effective immediately until 26 July 26, deputy civil protection minister Nikos Hardalias said in a statement.
“We call on the residents, visitors and business owners of our beautiful island to follow the measures faithfully…so that the spread of the virus can be swiftly checked and Mykonos can return to normal,” Hardalias said.
Mykonos: Top travel destination
One of Greece’s top travel destinations, Mykonos draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually — including a steady stream of celebrities — to its picturesque beaches and vibrant nightlife.
Private parties in villas raise concern
But Greek authorities have been lately alarmed by the number of clandestine parties held in the island’s numerous villas.
Hardalias on 15 July had warned that active cases on Mykonos had quadrupled to over 300 in just a week.
On Saturday he said organisers of private gatherings of over 20 people risk fines of up to €200 000 (R3.4 million).
Climb in COVID-19 cases in Greece
Greece is experiencing a steady climb in Covid-19 infections in recent days, largely blamed on the more contagious Delta variant.
Nearly 2 700 new cases were announced nationwide on Friday 16 July, compared to fewer than 400 three weeks prior.
— By © Agence France-Presse
