Mykonos will no longer be synonymous with festive nights this summer. Greece in fact imposed a five-hour curfew and other restrictions on this tourist island on Saturday, due to a “worrying” increase in Covid-19 contamination.
In addition to a curfew between 1 am and 6 am, the measures provide, from July 26, a permanent ban on all music. “We call on the inhabitants, visitors and traders of our beautiful island to faithfully apply the measures (…) so that the spread of the virus can be quickly controlled and Mykonos can return to normal,” said the deputy in a statement. Minister for Civil Protection, Nikos Hardalias.
Underground parties
Mykonos is one of the main tourist destinations in Greece and its picturesque beaches as well as its vibrant nightlife attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, including many celebrities. But recently the growing number of underground parties in the villas of the island worried the Greek authorities. On July 15, Nikos Hardalias had also warned that the number of active cases on the island of Mykonos had quadrupled in one week, exceeding 300. The Deputy Minister for Civil Protection was therefore forced to explain on Saturday that organizers of private gatherings of more than 20 people risked fines of up to 200,000 euros.
Greece has seen a steady increase in contaminations in recent days, largely linked to the Delta variant, which is more contagious. Nearly 2,700 new cases were registered in the country on Friday, against less than 400 three weeks earlier.