Alarm in Xanthi after spike in Covid-19 cases
![Alarm in Xanthi after spike in Covid-19 cases](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/xan8h-thumb-large--2-thumb-large.jpg)
Deputy Minister for Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias and the government’s special adviser on the coronavirus crisis, Sotiris Tsiodras, were traveling to the northern Greek region of Xanthi on Friday with a team from the National Organization for Public Health (EODY) following an outbreak of Covid-19 cases.
The visit comes a day after the General Secretariat for Civil Protection announced restrictions for the region of Xanthi in northeastern Greece after 15 coronavirus infections were reported there in one day while imposing a curfew on the village of Echinos, where most of the cases were traced.
Residents of Echinos will be prohibited from leaving their homes between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. for the next seven days during which period all primary schools and kindergartens will be closed and the use of a face mask will be compulsory in public places. In the broader region of Xanthi the use of face masks will be compulsory in all shops and other businesses.
Following a recent spike in cases of Covid-19, the authorities have said they will introduce restrictions to contain localized outbreaks. A total of 20 new infections were announced on Thursday, bringing the nationwide total to 3,088, while the death toll remains at 183.