Pandemic-related restrictions in Greece on non-essential outdoor travel and indoor assembly are expected to continue until Sunday, which on the Orthodox ecclesiastical calendar is Orthodox Sunday, falling this year on March 21, i.e. the first Sunday after the beginning of Great Lent.
The restrictions continue to affect Church-going by the faithful in the east Mediterranean nation of 11 million, with Holy Services in areas of high Covid-19 concentration still held without the presence of worshipers.
For the Church of Greece and the faithful in the overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian nation, the concern is not to repeat last year’s situation, where churches and chapels remained closed to the faithful during Great Lent and Holy Easter Week.
Holy Pascha (Easter) this year falls on Sunday, May 2.
Although any forecast is still premature, the Greek government is reportedly eyeing a goal of keeping churches open to worshipers and the entire flock during Holy Easter Week, the supremely important and reverential days of the ecclesiastical year. What remains to be seen is whether this prospect will include a ceiling on the number of people within cathedrals, depending on the size of the place of worship, as well as social distancing protocol.
