Where are we allowed to go shopping?

[jandis]

I have been told of customers in a Lidl car park being informed by police there that they are only allowed to "go to local shops". Those concerned were from Apokoronas and were shopping in the Lidl at Mournies - both within the Chania region. Obviously it is not permitted to go to the Rethymnon region (and risk being fined EUR 300 for doing so) but is there anything which prevents those of us living within the Chania region (but outside of Chania town) from legally going to Chania town to do our shopping?
Your thoughts would be appreciated!
Jandis

[thebigbluecheese]

I think someone is making this up

[Kilkis]

Absolutely not BUT the police will probably fine you anyway even though it is perfectly legal. This is Greece after all. See this article, which relates to exercise, not shopping, but the principle is clear. In justifying Mitsotakis his spokesperson said that in the latest lockdown the only restriction was that you must stay within your prefecture but people are still being fined by the police for exercising too far from home where the police arbitrarily decide what is too far.. If Mitsotakis' excuse applies to exercise it should apply to shopping.

Warwick

[Howard]

I am cautious of a post which begins "I have been told of" with no references. Told by whom?
First hand experiences or hearsay/rumour?

[Kilkis]

I have no specific information on Lidl but there have been plenty of reports in the media where people have been fined when it was highly unlikely they were breaking the rules and people not being fined who clearly were. Many of these reports were accompanied by photographs, like the recent Mitsotakis incident, so definitely not hearsay/rumour. The police deciding in a completely ad-hoc manner what the law does or doesn't mean is a common phenomenon in Greece. Badly constructed rules made in haste tend to exacerbate the problem.

Warwick

[Howard]

I have no specific information on Lidl but there have been plenty of reports in the media where people have been fined when it was highly unlikely they were breaking the rules and people not being fined who clearly were. Many of these reports were accompanied by photographs, like the recent Mitsotakis incident, so definitely not hearsay/rumour. The police deciding in a completely ad-hoc manner what the law does or doesn't mean is a common phenomenon in Greece. Badly constructed rules made in haste tend to exacerbate the problem.

Warwick

The post upon which I commented was specifically about events "I have been told of" in Lidl, not others.

[Kilkis]

I should probably amend my first post. This article in Keep Talking Greece contains the following statement:

Regarding the retail stors he said that people will be allowed to shop outside their municipality area, however, the SMS exit authorization will remain.

Although this applies to retail stores when they reopen, not food shopping, it does imply that food shopping currently should be done within your own municipality. I've not seen this specified anywhere. It does seem odd that you can exercise anywhere in your prefecture, as stated by Mitsotakis' spokesperson, but you can only shop in your own municipality. If that is the rule then going from Apokoronas to Mournies would break it.

Anybody have a link to an official statement of the rules in detail?

Warwick

[thebigbluecheese]

I should probably amend my first post. This article in Keep Talking Greece contains the following statement:

Regarding the retail stors he said that people will be allowed to shop outside their municipality area, however, the SMS exit authorization will remain.

Although this applies to retail stores when they reopen, not food shopping, it does imply that food shopping currently should be done within your own municipality. I've not seen this specified anywhere. It does seem odd that you can exercise anywhere in your prefecture, as stated by Mitsotakis' spokesperson, but you can only shop in your own municipality. If that is the rule then going from Apokoronas to Mournies would break it.

Anybody have a link to an official statement of the rules in detail?

Warwick

Have you actually spoken to anyone who has been stopped , not someone who heard that a friend of a friend of a friend who thinks he may have been stopped for shopping in lidle or the like , I havnt either , nor have I seen any official communication that says I cannot shop in lidle if it's outside my prefecture.. if it is true that somene has been stopped maybe it could be for another violation of just a check

[mrsbluenose]

Have you zactually spoken to anyone who has been stopped , not someone who heard that a friend of a friend of a friend who thinks he may have been stopped for shopping in lidle or the like , I havnt either , nor have I seen any official communication that says I cannot shop in lidle if it's outside my prefecture.. if it is true that somene has been stopped maybe it could be for another violation of just a check

Shopping outside one's Prefecture is clearly prohibited. That wasn't the point of the original post. The question was about travelling a distance within one's Prefecture when nearer shops are available.

[Kilkis]

...Have you actually spoken to anyone who has been stopped ,...

I haven't spoken to anybody nor have I said anything about Lidl. That was Jandis.

I am simply saying that the article in Keep Talking Greece, which I linked in a previous post, IMPLIES that you should not be shopping outside your municipality. I have no idea whether you should or you shouldn't. I am simply asking the question has anybody seen the official rules, i.e. on a government web site not what is reported in the media.

Personally I shopped outside my municipality yesterday and have done so about once every 5 weeks throughout the pandemic. The rest of the time I have shopped inside my municipality. Did I break the rules? I have no idea.

Warwick

[thebigbluecheese]

Have you zactually spoken to anyone who has been stopped , not someone who heard that a friend of a friend of a friend who thinks he may have been stopped for shopping in lidle or the like , I havnt either , nor have I seen any official communication that says I cannot shop in lidle if it's outside my prefecture.. if it is true that somene has been stopped maybe it could be for another violation of just a check

Shopping outside one's Prefecture is clearly prohibited. That wasn't the point of the original post. The question was about travelling a distance within one's Prefecture when nearer shops are available.

My mistake , I meant inside . It does not say anywhere that it's forbidden to travel within your prefecture to shop ..

[Kilkis]

...It does not say anywhere that it's forbidden to travel within your prefecture to shop ..

I wouldn't know that, because I haven't read every document that exists in the world, but I have seen posts elsewhere by people who have themselves been fined by the police for shopping outside their municipality so it is happening, e.g. this example:

Was carrying my written statement, on my way to the supermarket and the police , wrote out a fine, for going to the supermarket in the closest city. We are staying at the top of a mountain and the town is really closed for the winter.

Warwick

[solitude1]

If the police tried to fine me for shopping in my prefecture i would say take me to court,
as long as i have my text number for shopping (2) i will not worry.

[Kilkis]

You are considerably richer than me, Solitude1, if you are prepared to go to court. Whatever the law says the probability of a Greek court finding in favour of a foreign national against a Greek police officer are infinitesimally small. Remember the police are simply spending tax payers' money while you are spending your own.

Warwick

[thebigbluecheese]

...It does not say anywhere that it's forbidden to travel within your prefecture to shop ..

I wouldn't know that, because I haven't read every document that exists in the world, but I have seen posts elsewhere by people who have themselves been fined by the police for shopping outside their municipality so it is happening, e.g. this example:

Was carrying my written statement, on my way to the supermarket and the police , wrote out a fine, for going to the supermarket in the closest city. We are staying at the top of a mountain and the town is really closed for the winter.

Warwick

Where and when did this incident occur? How sure are you that it did occur?