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Post by dennisn on Mar 31, 2020 15:43:40 GMT
We have transferred our June/July holiday to next year. Still holding some faint hope for September, nobody will blame us for our optimism.
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Post by cariad23 on Apr 1, 2020 6:02:54 GMT
ive just booked 14 days off in sept , you never know ! think everything will be very expensive though due to deand, if you havent already booked
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Post by dennisn on Apr 1, 2020 7:34:41 GMT
I look forward to seeing you in September then Cariad - if you're there for 14 days we're bound to overlap.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Apr 9, 2020 8:17:32 GMT
Someone was asking me about the summer holiday season this year, and it struck me that there are two things which need to be in place.
Firstly, will the lockdown be lifted from us. Secondly, will it be lifted from our destination.
I could see us having our lockdown lifted in two or three months, but our destinations still waiting for their first case.
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Post by cariad23 on Apr 9, 2020 11:56:09 GMT
they need to keep the islands virus free, even greeks not allowed home ,police manning autoroutes ferries etc. i am really beginning to think we should have more to worry about than holidays. 63 dead at my hospital so far 149 having treatment. im avoiding skiathos facebook from now on , because if one more idiot says anyone heard from jet2/tui or whos going sept i shall throw my laptop down the garden ! and as for the unfunny, idiot posting pictures of his pretend taverna, after posting obscene amount of snacks for night in, that totally finished me. Yes we all love skiathos, but lets concentrate on helping people who need it,and ringing elderly relatives who have no choice but to isolate for 12 weeks.
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Post by balddave on Apr 9, 2020 12:12:42 GMT
I am very much in agreement Cariad, especially when folk refer to Skiathos as ‘ our island’, it’s not it’s just a beautiful island that we have the privilege of being able to visit.
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Post by dennisn on Apr 9, 2020 12:16:16 GMT
You shouldn’t feel uptight, Cariad, about Facebook antics. I just smile, think “You poor saddo” and scroll on by.
Then we go out into our (fortunately) large garden and snip off another blade of grass!
It’s fairly simple - we’ve already shifted our first trip to next year and if need be we’ll switch the second one.
I’m far more concerned for the people of Skiathos.
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Post by dennisn on Apr 9, 2020 12:19:54 GMT
Having said which, I get wound up about “fave” the many different (wrong) spellings of Koukounaries (does nobody ever look at the destination board on the front of the buses?) and “home”
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Post by cariad23 on Apr 9, 2020 12:46:01 GMT
yes the people there must be feeling desperate if they have no income to look forward to, how will they live, i bet the greek benefits system nothing like ours. They've already had it tough losing the last few weeks of the season last year due to TC. im lucky to have a large garden too Dennis, have you counted the blades of grass yet Dennis ? Just heard my daughter in law (a nurse) being seconded to the new nightingale hospital at Birmingham, feeling concerned after two nurses dying, she was in a safe management role. A long daily drive too after a 12 hour shift .
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Post by dennisn on Apr 9, 2020 13:45:11 GMT
I read somewhere recently that workers have to do 13 weeks work in summer to qualify for winter benefits. July, august, September? I do NOT know what the benefits are but I bet few if any will qualify this year.
Vera’s daughter is a nurse. God knows how she gets the bravery to go in. Sent me a picture in full PPE, gown, gloves, mask and visor.
Frightening.
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Post by dennisn on Apr 18, 2020 9:10:19 GMT
Another worry perhaps? I wonder how many Skiathos residents have mortgages which they can't pay without tourism?
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Post by balddave on Apr 18, 2020 14:24:39 GMT
We have just been speaking to our son who lives in Seville, he says they have received an official notification from Spanish authorities indicating a proposed lifting of their lockdown. It is quite a detailed schedule over the next couple of months, the positive being , hotels open mid June, with international travel from june26th. We will wait and see if this pans out, but nothing wrong with being optimistic.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Apr 18, 2020 15:25:22 GMT
There appear to be two aspects to this in relation to Skiathos.
Firstly, the island is, like everywhere else in Greece, 'on lockdown', meaning people can't leave the house apart from for food, etc., and schools, bars, and so on, are closed.
Secondly, no one can visit the island unless they live there, and even then, if they come off island, they need to quarantine for 14 days.
Surely, as there is no virus on the island, they can relax the first measure. The isolation has been in place long enough that anyone with it will either have got ill and recovered, got ill and not shown any symptoms and recovered, or have been so ill it was blindingly obvious, and would have been taken to (the mainland) hospital, and recovered (or died).
As the island has been virus free for long enough, and no one is allowed in, surely the islanders shouldn't be having to isolate themselves from each other. They can't catch it off each other if no one has it.
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cavey
New Member
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Post by cavey on Apr 19, 2020 2:12:29 GMT
Whilst it is true that there are no confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Skiathos, it is our view as islanders that we must respect the measures put in place by the Greek Government for the whole of Greece. Yes, we are on lockdown, but there are still instances of people who have travelled here from other parts of Greece, who don't live here all year round, but have a business and are tax registered here and therefore able to return. Unfortunately it's a loophole that has been exploited by a few that the Mayor can't close. But that aside, we are doing what we do to show solidarity towards the rest of Greece and what it's going through.
Whilst living on a small island has so far kept us safe, it must also be understood that an outbreak here would be catastrophic to the island's elderly, infirm and vulnerable population and that is what we all bear in mind. Given that this island doesn't even have a hospital that could deal with one case, let alone an outbreak, it's vitally important that we abide by the quarantine rules. It's just the right thing to do for the good of everyone.
And so, here I am, six weeks in my own home without going out. Only hubby goes out for essentials, obtaining the necessary permission before he does so. Pasca, the biggest event in the Greek calendar was undergone by everyone celebrating at home and church services being televised. We are all making a huge effort here, and staying at home during Pasca has been a massive sacrifice undertaken by the Greeks, one that they have never had to previously experience in their lifetime and I hope they never have to again.
We have adjusted to every new rule put in place and we are abiding by them, so if we were to face the worst case scenario where Covid-19 reaches this island, we are already used to practising social distancing and staying home where possible. Greece has been on the forefront of acting quickly against this virus, hence the extremely low level of infection and death rates compared to the rest of Europe. That has to be absolutely commended and so if we have to stay home and stick this out for as long as is required of us, then I'm all for it.
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Post by dennisn on Apr 19, 2020 8:17:34 GMT
How well said cavey. And we shall see how badly a selective area relaxation works when Trump’s ideas are carried out in USA and they release some states. In my opinion a bad idea. I want to go to Skiathos again only when it is safe to do so and ending lockdown is only feasible when the Coronavirus is defeated.
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