Greece’s Civil Protection placed the regional unit of Kozani, a city in northern Greece, on lockdown until October 29, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias said the region is in the “increased threat” level.
The measures include the mandatory use of a mask in all indoor and outdoor areas, the suspension of all gatherings in public and private spaces, as well as a travel ban outside the region.
In addition, all entertainment venues, archaeological sites, museums, playgrounds, shops, gyms, courts and restaurants will close.
Schools will continue to remain open with pupils and teachers wearing masks, while universities will switch to online classes.
Greece recorded 453 new cases of COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour reporting period, the largest daily spike since the first case was registered in the country in late February.
This raises the total number of cases to 23,947.
3,434 are considered to be related to travel from abroad and 9,698 are related to an already known case.
Eighty-two individuals are in ICU. Their median age is 67 years, and 24 of them are women. 93.9% have an underlying condition or are aged 70 years and above.
A total of 252 patients have been discharged from ICUs since the start of the pandemic in Greece.
The country’s pandemic death toll stands at 482. The median age of all was 79 years and 96.3% of the deceased had an underlying condition and/or age of 70 years or more.
Greece makes face masks mandatory after surge in cases