Greece’s Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias on Wednesday said that the current lockdown restrictions will continue to be in effect until April 27, "without that meaning that as of April 28 everything returns to normalcy.”
Hardalias made the announcement during the daily briefing alongside Professor Tsiodras, and warned that even when restrictions are lifted, it may be necessary in the near future to reintroduce the restrictions, depending on epidemiological findings.
The only change in restrictions is the partial reopening of local courts as of April 27, he noted, as already announced by the Justice Ministry on Tuesday.
The Minister made a particular plea to the public in the area of Kranidi, Argolid, to stay home, after the entire town was placed on a 14-day curfew after 150 cases of coronavirus infections were identified at a local hotel housing some 470 refugees.
An additional 177 samples have been collected from possible traced contacts in the area, and are being processed, the minister noted.
Meanwhile, a door-to-door sample taking took place in the Roma community of Nea Smyrni in the Larissa, central Greece, which was placed on lockdown when a sick child's case led to a series of coronavirus-positive confirmations. Twenty people are being cared for in a Reception Medical Facility of Larissa, and samples retaken on Wednesday for an update of their progress.
Thessaly Regional Director Kostas Agorastos said that with the help of Hardalias and Tsiodras a safety protocol has been applied that takes particular care of vulnerable groups of the population in general, and that antibodies tests (Elisa IgG) are being conducted.
The Reception Medical Centre, he said, was created on fast track to house carriers of the virus with mild or no symptoms.
