As we go through an unprecedented crisis, with profound consequences for both our fellow citizens and the economy, it has become more critical than ever to protect public health. The Ministry of Tourism, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and all tourism bodies stand by the Greek government in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, advocating that the only responsible choice is to "stay home."

 

Alongside the state's measures to support the travel industry, the Ministry of Tourism, GNTO, and Marketing Greece created the online platform GreeceFromHome, an initiative to enhance the image of our country during the pandemic.

The platform's primary objectives are to help people around the world stay in touch with Greek culture, to discover and be inspired by Greece's beauty, and to enhance their digital skills–all while staying at home.

















The #greecefromhome initiative consists of 3 pillars:

Watch

People are encouraged not just to stay home, but to stay connected to Greek culture through the GNTO Greek Creators channel Visit Greece on YouTube. The channel will offer new and curated content by Greek artists and personalities from around the world. It will include Greek-inspired music, gastronomy, theater, dance, sports, and fashion as well as videos of destinations and experiences from all over Greece.

Visit

Being at home doesn't mean you can't "visit" Greece. Through www.discovergreece.com, visitors can enjoy rich content and inspiring digital experiences. Archaeological sites and museums, villages and traditions, gastronomy, sightseeing, enjoying nature and of course the sea ... all from the safety of your home.

Learn

This time presents unique challenges for businesses and professionals. Digital skills are more important than ever – whether one is working from home, connecting with customers, or distance learning – so we want to help you with the free online training courses provided by Grow with Google. The courses are flexible and personalized, designed to build your confidence and skills. Learn about creating a digital marketing plan, using social media effectively, the art of storytelling, and much more. Staying at home can also mean staying ahead.

 

Wherever you are, while we're apart at home, let's stay together!

To discover #greecefromhome, please click here

Due to this year's unprecedented circumstances, Katerina Evangelatos, Artistic Director of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, unveiled the original concept and planning behind the 2020 program privately, through a moving video. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, performance dates are not included in the press kit.

We all hope that this year's Festival will come to fruition as soon as circumstances allow it, with as few disruptions as possible.

 

 

The Athens & Epidaurus Festival is Greece’s leading cultural event and one of the oldest performing arts festivals in Europe (1955). Each year, the Athens & Epidaurus Festival presents performances from acclaimed artists in theatre, dance, and music and attracts large audiences from around the world.

 

The festival takes place annually in the months of June, July, and August. More specifically, the Athens Festival performances are held between June 1st and mid to late July while the Epidaurus performances are held every Friday and Saturday, from early July to mid-August.

 

In Athens the festival is held at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Peiraios 260, and Opening to the City. In Epidaurus it takes place at Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus. Site-specific performances are presented in various neighbourhoods of Athens and Piraeus, including outdoor spaces and archaeological sites, thus expanding the Festival’s scope and audience and encouraging spectators’ active engagement.

 

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XpatAthens is proud to be a Media Sponsor of the Athens Festival

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Imagine waking up in a new place each day, and not even having to unpack your bags—a vacation where you follow the sun in privacy and safety. There is no better way to enjoy some of the world's top destinations than from the water, and Greece is a fascinating destination for a sailing vacation. Here you'll go off the beaten path and get the opportunity to discover more than 2,000 scenic islands and coastlines that Greece has to offer!

 

You'll instantly forget the winter blues with the turquoise waters of Kimolos island in the Cyclades, or the magical islands of the Ionian.

 

There are many benefits to going on a sailing holiday. Vacationing on a yacht offers exceptional freedom and endless relaxation. Spending a few days on-board will bring you closer to nature than you've probably ever been before (think countless hours of snorkeling and exploring stunning untouched beaches.) Depending on your chosen itinerary, you'll have the chance to experience a different destination every day, and to learn the basics of sailing on-board a private skippered catamaran!

 

New Horizons Yachting Co. offers a collection of high-end, customized Catamaran yachts that will meet your every need, helmed by experienced, knowledgeable Captains, catered by talented chefs, and manned by a professional, discrete crew. Each Cat-Yacht has been carefully selected, customized, and equipped with personal touches and warmth. The New Horizons bookings team will help you find the best yacht to fit your specific needs based on budget and number of guest arrangements, and relevant availability.

 

New Horizons Yachting Co. is owned and operated by a Greek ex-pat family, that initially started visiting Greece through the eyes of a tourist. Trying to make every moment count for the limited time they had in their motherland, they began yachting. Sailing in a catamaran offered them the holidays they'd always dreamed of and thus began their journey into the yachting industry.

 

This summer, say goodbye to routine, work stress and world problems and hello to early morning swims, and simple, flavourful and convivial meals al fresco, surrounded by your loved ones.

Discover new horizons and unique experiences in Greece - learn more New Horizon's yachting holidays here!


This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab.

Daylight saving time 2020 in Greece will begin at 3:00 AM on Sunday March 29. At 3:00 AM local time, clocks will turn to 4:00 AM as daylight saving time goes into effect across the European Union.

Since 80% of Europeans said they were opposed to the clock changes, the EU has ruled to discard the time changing practice by April 2021. Consequently, each Member State will have to decide whether to remain permanently on 'summer time' or to change their clocks to permanent standard time.

This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab.

In times of unknowns, we question, we think, we seek knowledge, and this edition of the XpatAthens newsletter is more like a 'keep coming back to' resource that is full of content to keep you pondering, interested, and hopeful for a greater tomorrow. As we all adjust to the daily realities of staying home, so too does the entire world collectively. No one is alone in this one.

We welcome you to share this newsletter with friends and family around the globe, and thank you for keeping Greece's international community connected and active digitally! From all of us to all of you, #StayStrong #StayPositive #StayHome!

In a period when Greece and many other countries in the world are in great distress, a Facebook group comes to offer a helping hand. Owners of empty Airbnb apartments around the country have been called to the rescue as there is a growing need for free housing.

Many members of the group willingly provide free housing to relocated medical staff and patients who need to self-isolate away from their families. If you own a vacant flat or house anywhere in Greece that you wish to offer for free during the coronavirus pandemic, please visit the "I offer my AIRBNB home for FREE during Covid-19 Crisis" Facebook group.

At the same time, the "Sino-Hellenic Investors' Confederation" is also calling apartment owners in Greece to contribute their vacant houses to front-line medical staff for free, during this challenging time. Offering accommodation to medics will allow them to rest near the hospitals, at the end of their shift. More importantly, this will significantly reduce the risk of infecting their family members. The "Sino-Hellenic Investors' Confederation" has already sourced 5 houses that have been granted to 5 medical staff members. However, there is still a need for at least 150 residences.

Please contribute to the cause by sharing this article. Let's protect the health of Covid-19 patients and their families; let's show our appreciation to doctors and medical staff by allowing them to rest safely without risking the health of their own families.

Stay home, stay safe, stay united!

This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab.

The Museum of Cycladic Art invites guests to explore a series of online activities by visiting the museum's website.

 

Here visitors can gain in-depth insight into the Cycladic, Ancient Greek, and Cypriot cultures. Remember some of the museum's greatest temporary exhibitions through images, videos, and exclusive backstage material. Explore the museum's entire collection. Watch interesting lectures and choose from a variety of e-books to read online. 

 

 

At this time, the museum has a special digital exhibition focused on how therapeutic practices have changed and developed over time. From the dawn of its existence, humanity has struggled to maintain health and searched for the causes of the diseases afflicting us, attributing them sometimes to external factors, such as magic and divine wrath, and sometimes to internal causes, such as an imbalance of the elements of our constitution until we finally established the medical model. Guests can get acquainted with ancient Greek medicine from the comfort of their home and discover medical practices and methods, some of which are still used today, through fascinating documents, artifacts, images, and other great historical sources. See the exhibition here.

 

Below is an Orphic Hymn to Hygieia from the emblematic exhibition Health, Illness, Treatment from Homer to Galen that was presented in 2014, today the Museum of Cycladic Art invites guests to explore the exhibition digitally.

Mobile phone owners in Greece were startled to hear multiple loud beeps on their mobile phones last week. It was a notification message from the Greek Civil Protection Service to warn citizens about the measures and precautions they should take against the virus. The SMS messages were written in Greek and English.

 

To date, the Greek Civil Protection Service has sent 3 alert messages prompting people to stay at home on the first sign of infection, to abide by the government regulations to avoid putting themselves and others at risk. However, the Civil Protection Service has confirmed that 10% of mobile phone owners did not receive the alerts. Here is how to activate this functionality and begin receiving these messages.

 

 

If you haven't been receiving the alert messages on your smartphone, all you need to do is upgrade to the latest version of its operating system and make sure your device is set to receive CB alerts.

 

 

If you don't have a smartphone, you can register here or by dialing 112 to receive alerts via one of the 3 following channels:

Although it may feel like our days are all full of depressing events and statistics, that’s not the only picture. There are a lot of pretty amazing things happening in the world too and our friend and contributor Lynn Roulo has shared this list below to give us a wonderful reason to smile on today's special March 25th Greek holiday.

• The Goo Goo Dolls’ lead singer held a porch concert to help local small businesses impacted by the coronavirus.

• Formula 1 race car teams work with UK authorities to repurpose their expertise to build ventilators, which are required and in short supply for those with serious cases of COVID-19.

• Fashion designer Christian Siriano and Dov Charney repurpose their workshops to make face masks and medical gowns.

• 300 Chinese doctors and 31 tons of medical supplies arrived in Italy from China to help the Italians battle the coronavirus.

• Spanish police sing to families in lockdown in Mallorca.

• L’Oreal starts a solidarity initiative and is arming health care, pharmacy, and food distribution workers with hand sanitizer to help fight the coronavirus.

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk is gearing up to donate 250,000 N95 face masks for hospitals and to begin production of ventilators with the goal of having 1,000 ready by next week. 

To read this article in full, please visit Lynn's website. 

Lynn is an American Kundalini yoga and Enneagram instructor teaching a unique combination of the two systems, combining the physical benefits of Kundalini yoga with the psychological growth tools of the Enneagram.

Most of her adult life has been as a Certified Public Accountant (US CPA) working in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco technology start up and venture capital industries. In 2012, she decided to move to Athens, Greece for purely intuitive reasons. She's not Greek by heritage, she did not have a job here, she didn’t speak any Greek (at the time), and there wasn't a Greek man in the picture either! She simply had a really clear feeling that she should go to Greece. And so she did.

We're thrilled to collaborate with Lynn as an official XpatAthens Content Contributor! To learn more about her and all the great things she does in Athens please click here.

There's so much information circulating regarding the Coronavirus disease that it's imperative to be able to distinguish what's true and what's not.

The senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins puts things straight to keep you and your family can stay healthy and well.

FALSE. Right now, there is no vaccine for the new coronavirus. Even though scientists have already started working on one, developing safe vaccine will take many months.

 

 

FALSE. None of these practices will protect you from COVID-19; in fact, some of them can be very dangerous. CLICK HERE to find out how to stay protected.

FALSE. It is a known fact that viruses can change over time. Occasionally, a disease outbreak happens when a virus that is common in an animal undergoes changes and passes to humans, which is likely how the new coronavirus came to be.

 

FALSE. Researchers are still studying to find out more about how the coronavirus infects people. Scientists have noted that most viruses like this one do not stay alive on surfaces for very long. Consequently, it is not likely to contract the virus from a package that was in transit for days or weeks.

FALSE. Specific models of professional, tight-fitting respirators can protect medic as they care for infected patients. For the general public wearing disposable surgical masks is not recommended. However, people with a respiratory illness can wear these masks to lessen their chance of infecting others.