Second lockdown may last beyond 7 December

Greece is currently in its second lockdown.

The national shutdown is due to end on December 7, but it may be extended in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19.

“We are veering away from the December 7 goal and will need to go a bit farther,” Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Wednesday, without setting a specific date when lockdown measures will be lifted.

Speaking to Mega TV, Petsas said that the data of the pandemic at the moment shows “a stabilization or even a decrease,” and there are positive indications such as patient discharges are higher than patient admissions.

He stated that the return to the "new normal" conditions would proceed “gradually."

“How much later and at what pace these gradual phases will take place will be assessed at the end of the week,” he added.

When asked if schools or shops and restaurants will open first, he said that the government is not yet able to answer that question.

Petsas said that the road map for the gradual lifting of the lockdown would be announced by the end of the week.

Latest covid-19 numbers in Greece

Greece recorded 2,199 new cases of COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour reporting period.

This raises the total number of cases to 107,470.

4,919 are considered to be related to travel from abroad and 28,590 are related to an already known case.

Five hundred and ninety-six individuals are in ICU. Their median age is 65 years, and 167 of them are women. 75.8% have an underlying condition or are aged 70 years and above.

A total of 597 patients have been discharged from ICUs since the start of the pandemic in Greece.

The country’s pandemic death toll stands at 2,517. The median age of all was 80 years and 96.6% of the deceased had an underlying condition and/or age of 70 years or more.