What Expat life is like during covid-19 in Santorini, Greece

Prior to living abroad, I was confident in my ability to handle hardships and uncomfortable situations. Plenty of millennials can testify to graduating at the peak of a recession, suffering under crippling student loan debt, living through the threat of H1N1, Ebola, and etc.

That’s all great but COVID-19 proved different.

So, what’s it like being an expat during the pandemic? Is it safe to travel internationally during the coronavirus disease pandemic?

In mid to late March of 2020, American travelers and expats were informed to make their way back home due to COVID-19’s rapid spread of destruction. Hearing this on the news, sent a wave of unease through me. I had never quite witnessed something like it during my lifetime. This was exceptional and I could only imagine it as something similar to a biblical plague.

I’m happy to have a second home but there really is only one ‘home’ at the end of the day. Still, I had to think smart about moving overseas during the pandemic. If you read my previous blog post, then you know that the last 50-minute plane ride that I took in December to northern Greece resulted in a two-week cold. Unfortunately, I’m definitely on the immune-compromised list. Also, the photos and video footage of thousands of American citizens piled into airports trying to get back on American soil was a major turn off. My last thing to consider was that I am uninsured in America, but I have medical coverage and a residence permit in Greece.

Living abroad is a delicate situation and after weighing the pros and cons, I found that the smart choice was to stay put and quarantine in Santorini.

Greece, unlike the US, did not wait until there was a death before they decided to close schools and other highly frequented establishments. We are following the same stay at home orders as most places, but we also have to show written proof in the form of a letter or text confirmation for permission to go to supermarkets, pharmacies, or etc.

If you do not have a proof of residence that shows that you live in the Greek isles then you currently can not travel there. This measure was put in place to stop a lot of people from the mainland from migrating to the islands in search of isolation and possibly spreading the disease. Due to the strict measures in Greece, the daily infected amounts are said to be in the single digits these days.

As of today, Santorini thankfully has no reported COVID-19 cases.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous here but the streets have the barrenness of the cold month of January. No hotels are allowed to be open, cruise ships can not dock, and there are only enough flights to count on one hand daily.

May usually kicks off the busy season of tourism in Santorini but that is not the current reality. The empty streets are a stark contrast to the plentiful days of the past.

An empty street in Katerados next to an often busy bus stop.

Many workers that rely on tourism are nervous about the future of their establishments. The majority of the bars, lounges, restaurants, cafes, and tourism companies are closed until further notice. In the meantime, some establishments are thinking of better marketing strategies to get tourists in once all of this is over.

Normally, this is the busiest street in Fira

This parking lot is usually packed with tour buses for tourism excursions

Cafe closed until further notice

Post office

Closed shops

Halted construction

Even in the sudden emptiness there still is a beautiful natural glow about this place and it’s been happening in other places around the globe recently as well. Nature is finally flourishing without being disturbed and it’s been calling our attention for a long time.

I recently thought about the hardships of the Santorini donkeys that work tirelessly throughout the year to make tourism possible here. Donkeys are an old-world way of getting things done and I understand that the infrastructure in certain places still heavily relies on them. However, during summertime in Santorini many donkeys are forced to carry up boatloads of tourists from the cruise ship port in the blazing Aegean sun and humidity. They have to walk up hundreds of stairs and often are not given the proper breaks or shade as the law permits. The owners often see it as a way to make money and they beat the tired beasts up the steep inclines until they abide. These same tourists have more humane options like walking, taking a cable car, or simply flying into Santorini.

The coronavirus has forced us to really listen to the things that often don’t have a voice to tell us it hurts, I’m tired, I’m scared, and please stop.

Let’s take this time to think about our actions and come back better, smarter, and more compassionate than before.

At least this view never changes…