Lockdown lifts after six months

Well, after heading into lockdown on 7th November, today’s the day the restaurants and cafés may reopen, albeit for outside dining. But in Crete in May, outside dining is the only show in town anyway!

The village has been a hive of activity in recent weeks, with all the owners out sanding down furniture, painting the outside flooring areas, assembling benches and straw parasols and powerhosing all around them. Shops have been refurbished, roads relaid, lampposts painted. We know the whole village are pinning their hopes on there being a decent summer season this year, and who could blame them? They have been shut for six whole months, not to mention the meagre season they had last year.

We are a bit anxious about how this reopening will affect infection rates, as they’re still not under control by any means. Last night, a new bar opened in town and, it being Easter Sunday and a bank holiday today (and tomorrow!), there were large crowds out to celebrate. We haven’t seen anything like this in all the months we have been here, but it was as if caution was thrown to the wind as all notions of social distancing were abandoned. We just hope that there won’t be repercussions in terms of infection rates in the next week or two.