Curfew and music ban in Mykonos after Covid-19 spike

Popular with GCC tourists, the party island’s shops, cafes and beach bars have fallen silent

Following a rise in Covid-19 cases, the Greek government has banned music in restaurants and bars and imposed a nighttime curfew on the island of Mykonos.

A popular holiday destination for those residing in the GCC, Mykonos usually attracts more than a million visitors each summer. 

Following a local outbreak, Greece’s Civil Protection Ministry announced that music on the island would be banned around the clock, including in shops, cafes and beach bars. It also said it would restrict movement between 1am to 6am except for those going to and from work, or to a hospital.

The number of infections has been rising in Greece in recent weeks, and new restrictions have been introduced across the country, including allowing only vaccinated customers to sit indoors at restaurants and clubs.

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Still, according to the island’s Mayor, Konstantinos Koukas, imposing these additional measures at the heart of the tourism season is “unfair” and “misguided”. Koukas wrote the following on his Facebook page: “Mykonos cannot be the only island where music won’t be heard… the only thing this will achieve is that visitors will go to another island.” 

Greece depends on tourism for a fifth of its economy and needs a strong season in 2021 following last year when visitor numbers and revenues plummeted after the outbreak of the pandemic.

The ministry has issued a statement, saying: “We call on the residents, visitors and professionals on our beautiful island to strictly follow the measures… so that we can quickly control and contain the spreading of the virus and Mykonos can return to normality.”

The curfew and music ban will remain in place until 26 July 2021.