The daily briefing by the National Organization for Public Health on Monday reported that 657 patients are currently intubated in Greece’s ICUs, a further increase from Sunday’s six and a half month high.
CORONAVIRUS
![[InTime News]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Toumba-320x200.jpg)
The Hellenic Police are investigating Toumba Stadium officials for failing to maintain coronavirus measures. Specifically, the police are investigating officials of PAOK’s stadium who oversaw mandatory certificate entry checks imposed by the ongoing measures to contain the pandemic.
![A man wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus walks in Athens, Greece, Monday. Greece has recorded a spike in deaths and infections related to Covid-19 this month, amid heightened concerns in Europe due to the Omicron variant. The Greek government has been ruling out the prospect of a general lockdown. [AP]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AP21333413963641-320x200.jpg)
The Greek government repeated on Monday it has no plans for another lockdown amid anxiety over the omicron variant of Covid-19.
![[AP]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vaccination_AP-4-320x200.jpg)
The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a “very high” global risk where Covid-19 surges could have “severe consequences” in some areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.
![A member of the church checks a woman's vaccination certificate against the coronavirus disease, as the government imposed measures for faithful to present negative Covid tests to enter church services, in Athens, Sunday. [Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/church_covid_reuters-320x200.jpg)
Greece introduced new restrictions obliging churchgoers to present negative COVID-19 tests to attend services on Sunday following a surge in infections in recent weeks.
With the daily infection and death rates hovering at a consistently high level and amid heightened concerns on a pan-European level due to the Omicron variant, the next fortnight will be pivotal regarding the strategy the government deploys to manage the fourth pandemic, whose peak is expected, according to estimates, around mid-December.
![[Dimitrios Bouras/SOOC]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/corona-45-320x200.png)
New cases of coronavirus dipped, as usual, Sunday, but deaths and intubations rose, with the latter reaching their highest level in six and a half months.
![[Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/covid_ward-reuters-320x200.jpg)
As the countries of Europe have been placing restrictions on flights from and to South Africa one after the other, the World Health Organization has been calling on countries to not impose hasty measures connected to the new Covid-19 variant known as the “Botswana mutation.”
![[Dimitris Peristeris/INTIME]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/corona-44-320x200.png)
Five Greek citizens, who arrived from south African countries via a stopover in the United Arab Emirates, have been placed on a ten-day precautionary quarantine.
Greek authorities announced 5,870 new cases of coronavirus and 82 fatalities in the past 24 hours Saturday.
![[AP]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AP21328588545353-320x200.jpg)
Cyprus on Friday said it was banning arrivals from a number of African states, including South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, following the detection of a new Covid-19 variant.
![[AP]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AP21323606759720-320x200.jpg)
Turkey closed its borders to passengers from five countries as a measure against the new coronavirus variant, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Friday.
![[Intime News]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/airport_intime-3-320x200.jpg)
In response to the emergence of the new Covid variant Omicron variant that carries an “extremely high number” of mutations, the Greek Health Ministry on Friday announced a new series of restrictions regarding travel originating from countries in southern Africa where it was first detected.
![[Denis Balibouse/Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WHO_reuters-320x200.jpg)
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday designated a new Covid-19 variant detected in South Africa with a large number of mutations as being “of concern,” the fifth variant to be given the designation.
Greece stopped short of imposing a ban on air travel from southern African countries over a new Covid-19 variant, choosing instead to introduce severe restrictions for nine of them.
![[InTime News]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/covid_test_-_intime-320x200.jpg)
The number of intubated Covid-19 patients rose further to 630 on Friday, from 621 the previous day, according to the daily data announced by Greek health authorities.
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