Greeks celebrated Easter Sunday away from loved ones and their home towns because of a stricter lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus but were still able to enjoy spit-roasted lamb, a traditional part of the festivities.
Vassilis Kourtelis dances as his son Christos prepares spit-roasted lamb at their house on Easter Sunday, during a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease outbreak in Athens, Greece, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Greeks stuck to the restrictions and spent the day with their close families and roasted lamb on verandas and balconies for the traditional Easter meal. “But we are not going to let it ruin our mood, here with the family, as if we were there with our relatives. We send them video calls, they see us as we sing and dance.”
But as thousands of Greeks travel from Athens to their family homes for the Easter every year, the government was worried people would relax social distancing measures and banned unnecessary movement from Holy Saturday night to Easter Monday midnight, doubling the fines for offenders.
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