This will be the second Orthodox Easter – which is inextricably linked to the customary mass exodus from cities to our ancestral villages in order to honour our traditions – which we shall celebrate while in the throes of a pandemic.

The difference this year is that although we are in the midst of a massive vaccination rollout we are struggling to manage the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in our country.

Consequently, the government must urgently clarify the terms and the extent to which people will be able to move freely during the holidays without leaving room for backpedaling or a “creative ambiguity” that may confuse people.

This is crucial if one is to avert a chaotic situation that will torpedo the National Health System and undermine it enormous struggle.

The government must announce its intention as soon as possible so that the average family can make its own plans and accept the government’s decision, which will be based on the latest epidemiological data.

We are in the last stretch of the effort to transcend this unprecedented and collective adventure and it is of critical importance that we succeed.

Mixed signals in managing the epidemic can prove disastrous at a moment that the population is understandably fatigued due to protracted public health restrictions.

The virus is still with us and it is worth the effort to fight it without reversals and laxity.