Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the next steps in lifting the COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Mitsotakis announced:
- On May 3, restaurants open for outdoor dining and curfew is extended to 23:00.
- On May 10, high schools and primary schools reopen.
- On May 15, tourism opens to those who have been vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19 72 hours before arriving; in addition, countrywide travel will be permitted and some cultural activities allowed.
At the same time, he pointed out that we are now going through the last and most sensitive phase of the war with the coronavirus.
"I know there is a lot of fatigue, but there are new allies beside us: Vaccinations, self-tests, but also the best weather makes us optimistic that this unprecedented adventure is ending," he said.
Mitsotakis also said that the pandemic seems to be stabilising.
According to him, albeit slowly, the positivity index is declining, but "the most important thing, however, is that vaccines are effective and the wall of immunity is being built at a rapid pace."
"It is, unfortunately, a fact that the vast majority of those who are being intubated are now our unvaccinated fellow citizens," the prime minister said.
He said that it is not possible for Greece to end lockdown measures for Easter on May 2 because there is still a high level of risk.
"That is why we must not travel at Easter," he said, adding: "Attica and the big cities still have many COVID cases" and "mass movement carries the risk of spreading the virus everywhere."
READ MORE: Greece releases protocols for ferry travel.
