You do not have to respect the lock.
The Greek Orthodox Church on Monday told priests not to comply with the Greek government’s decree to close houses of worship as part of the country’s tightening of new coronavirus restrictions.
The Conservative Church issued a statement instructing religious leaders to allow worshipers to gather inside for the baptismal services on Wednesday.
The Holy Synod said it “does not accept” the one-week restriction issued in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 before the planned reopening of schools.
The blockade from January 3 to 10 comes after Greece closed schools and largely suspended economic activity in November due to growing infections that nearly filled hospitals to capacity.
These measures were partially relaxed before Christmas, allowing churches to resume some activities.
But officials are now restarting strict regulations for a week, before the school’s planned reopening on Jan. 11.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Orthodox officials have had a mixed response to health and safety measures, ranging from mild support to severe opposition.
Greece has fared better in managing the virus than many other European nations, with around 136,000 confirmed cases in total and fewer than 5,000 deaths, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
With Post threads