Greek NEWS

Public Christmas celebrations banned in Greece to stall omicron

Published by
Gct

On Thursday, Greece’s Health Minister Thanos Plevris announced that public Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations would be banned, and masks would be required in public spaces to address the omicron variant of the coronavirus. 

Starting on Friday, citizens will also be required to wear two masks or masks that offer higher protection on public transit and grocery stores. International visitors will also be “strongly encouraged” to take two PCR tests within a few days after their arrival.

Plevris added that more measures could be expected in the new year regarding sports and other entertainment events to prevent Greece from having another lockdown.

Thus far, Greece has only had a few dozen omicron cases, though infections have recently stressed the country’s hospitals.

New coronavirus cases shot up again on Thursday to 6,667 from 5,461 a day earlier, while fatalities also rose in the 24-period to 71 from 69, taking Greece’s death toll since the pandemic’s start 20,198.

In its daily bulletin, the National Organization for Public Health (EODY) said 655 Covid-19 patients were on ventilators on Thursday, of which 548 (or 83.7%) are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

The bulk of Thursday’s new cases were in Attica, which accounted for 2,625 of the 6,667, with Thessaloniki reporting 903 new cases.

Ads1

Ads1
Gct

Recent Posts

81-Year-Old Man Arrested for Inappropriate Conduct Near Piraeus Primary School

Police in Piraeus have taken an 81-year-old man into custody after he was observed engaging…

8 hours ago

Where Does Greece Rank? Global Study Reveals Average Hip Sizes

A recent global study by GitNux revealed the average hip sizes of women across 17…

8 hours ago

EU Plans Stricter Migration Measures for 2025, Greece Highlights Security Focus

Greece's migration minister announced on Tuesday that the European Union plans to implement stricter migration…

8 hours ago

Lockheed Martin Delivers 30th Upgraded F-16 Viper to Hellenic Air Force

Lockheed Martin has delivered the 30th upgraded F-16 Viper to the Hellenic Air Force, marking…

8 hours ago

Greek Court Orders Extradition of Israeli Billionaire Beny Steinmetz on Romanian Corruption Charges

Beny Steinmetz, the Israeli mining magnate, was convicted for his role in a scheme to…

8 hours ago

Women’s Rugby is Back

As part of the ongoing growth of women's sports, AEK is excited to announce the…

9 hours ago