As Covid cases shoot up, Greece braces for tougher lockdown
Greece comes under tougher lockdown restrictions on Friday, a day after the country’s health authorities reported its worst performance since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Starting on Friday, a curfew is being imposed nationwide from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day in a bid to slow the virus’ transmission by preventing the public from engaging in non-essential activity outside the home, which has been much higher since the lockdown began last Saturday, compared to the spring.
Only people traveling to or from work, attending to an emergency or walking a pet are allowed to circulate between those hours. They will need to send an SMS for permission to the 13033 hotline or have a pass from their employer – or face a 300-euro fine.
The curfew also applies to individuals wanting to go for a walk or a run.
Businesses and organizations, meanwhile, have until Friday to draft a report that they may have to present to authorities at any given moment, demonstrating that they are operating only with an essential number of staff.
Supermarkets will also be closing earlier, at 8.30 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. For this Friday only, they will be allowed to stay open until 9 p.m., while Saturday hours will remain the same, until 8 p.m.
Greek health authorities on Thursday reported all-time highs of 3,316 new cases, 50 deaths and 310 patients on ventilators.
