Organized beaches will reopen this Saturday, May 8, a week earlier than expected, officials from the General Secretariat for Civil Protection announced on Wednesday.

The decision was made following the recommendation of the committee of experts advising the government on the coronavirus pandemic.

The protocol for attendance at the beaches, including the maximum number of persons allowed, social distancing requirements and activities will be announced before Friday.

On the same day, restrictions on the number of customers in shops with an area of 500 square meters will be relaxed.

These moves are part of the rapid reopening of activities the government wants to see done in May to help jump-start the economy after six months of the second pandemic lockdown.

The linchpin of this reopening is the official start of the tourist season on May 15, a season which the government is very eager to see succeed as tourism accounts for about a fifth of Greece’s GDP and impacts, directly or indirectly, over a million jobs.

Some courts, mainly administrative, will reopen on Monday, May 10, and so will schools, from kindergarten to junior high school level (up to Grade 9). Senior high schools have already reopened.

No final decisions have been taken regarding domestic travel across regions. There were indications this may happen along with the reopening of tourism but some officials are mulling the idea of requiring travelers to show proof of a negative self-test for the virus or obtain a certificate attesting they have been vaccinated.

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.