Greece has toughened restrictions for restaurants and cafes offering take-away and delivery options.
The new measures published in the official gazette on Tuesday note that no customers are allowed stay inside or outside these facilities.
Those who don't follow the new measures, face fines of €3,000 for business and €300 for customers.
The new rules apply throughout the country, regardless of 'red' or 'level' zones.
In an interview with ANT1 TV on Monday, Deputy Minister of Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias stressed that "from the start of the pandemic, there has been a specific plan and a specific strategy."
He pointed out that a general lockdown is still among the options if warranted by the epidemiological data but should not be resorted to lightly: "Of course there is fatigue, but we evaluate the data every day, the general lockdown is a tool that has been on the table since the beginning of the pandemic, but we have to evaluate it in relation to the real data, because it sounds easy, but behind a general lockdown there are people, there are families," he said, adding that "the cost is high."
"From the first moment, the prime minister has clarified and proved that the issue of human life is above all else," Hardalias added.
Greek government will announce further tools to support professionals in red zones
Greece remains the only ‘green’ country on European coronavirus map
For three weeks, Greece has been the only country showing mostly green zones on the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) coronavirus map, indicating a low rate of novel coronavirus infections.
The map aims to support the Council Recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restriction of free movement in response to the pandemic.
