Greece's Government Spokesperson Stelios Petsas on Monday noted that the second covid-19 wave was well underway all over Europe and that, according to the latest assessment by the ECDC, most European countries are classed as high-risk for epidemiological danger.
"Greece continues to be among the best countries. Along with the Scandinavian countries, [it is among] the best countries in the EU in terms of the number of cases," he said.
However, in response to this new situation and in order to avert the worst, the government has already applied two new measures: "The curfew from 12:30 to 05:00 in all epidemiologically burdened regions (level 3 and 4) and mandatory use of face masks everywhere. It is obvious that we have a difficult three months ahead of us and we have an obligation to strictly follow the measures, first of all to save lives and secondly to avoid putting excessive pressure on the health system and, finally, to avoid imposing even stricter measures. Besides, for the first time since the start of this adventure, the prospect of a safe and effective vaccine at the end of the year or in early 2021 is visible on the horizon and the government has ensured that we will have it on time and can distribute it as fast as possible."
Petsas also said that the government is not considering closing restaurants, cafes and bars before midnight, nor considering imposing restrictions on the movement of the elderly (over 65) and of the vulnerable groups, to fight rising coronavirus cases in high-risk areas.
However, he did say that authorities will continue to step up compliance checks in high-risk areas.
“It is noticed that the spread of the virus is mainly among young people. That is why the experts, the Prime Minister and the government are calling on the younger ages to show caution and avoid mass gatherings,” Petsas added.
Earlier this month, the government launched an interactive COVID-19 map that allows citizens and visitors to quickly find out more about the epidemiological situation across Greece and discover the measures that are in effect. Please click here for the website- covid19.gov.gr.
Latest covid-19 numbers in Greece
Greece recorded 715 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 31,496.
3,883 are considered to be related to travel from abroad and 1,194 are related to an already known case.
Ninety-five individuals are in ICU. Their median age is 65 years, and 32 of them are women. 95.8% have an underlying condition or are aged 70 years and above.
A total of 274 patients have been discharged from ICUs since the start of the pandemic in Greece.
The country’s pandemic death toll stands at 581. The median age of all was 79 years and 96.2% of the deceased had an underlying condition and/or age of 70 years or more.
