Update – 05/03/2021
March 5, 2021
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As of the latest update by the Greek authorities, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece is 199,496. 35 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 6,632. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 449. 2,219 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 1,051 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 257 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
Greece restricted movement to within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) radius from home on Thursday in a new effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Deputy Minister for Civil Protection & Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias announced that until March 16, citizens will not be allowed to travel to beyond 2 kilometers from one’s home for supermarkets, food stores and other essential goods shops (text message permit #2) or for banks (text message permit #3). Similarly, personal exercise (text message permit #6) or pet walking must be carried out close to one’s home; it will not be possible to carry out these activities beyond the limits of one’s municipality, the minister added. Regarding citizens who claim they are paying a home visit to a person in need to offer assistance (text message permit #4), they will have to be able to provide clarifications in case of a random street check by authorities. “We stay at home, in our neighborhood, and when we have to go out, we do so within the smallest possible distance”, stressed Hardalias.
Additionally, as of Thursday also, Attica Region and Thessaloniki Region will be classified as areas carrying a very high epidemiological risk, joined by the following regions: Achaia, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Boeotia, Chios, Corinth, Etoloakarnania, Evia (except Skyros island), Fthiotida, Heraklion (in Crete), Larissa, Lefkada (except Meganisi), Rhodes, Samos, Thesprotia, and the municipality of Kalymnos.
The overnight curfew in these areas until March 18 will start at 19:00 to 05:00, excepting Attica and Thessaloniki Regions, where the curfew will stay at remain 21:00-05:00.
Hardalias also reminded the public they were not allowed to loiter in parks, marinas, open sports areas.
After visiting Athens’ Patission Health Center on Thursday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the country’s vaccination program, referring to a “wall of immunity” being built up against the coronavirus. After inspecting the vaccination operations there, where he ascertained that work was proceeding very well, the PM thanked the staff for their services. Noting that inoculation against the coronavirus was particularly important in order to leave the pandemic behind once and for all, the PM stated “I start with the good news: Vaccines are proving safe and effective. “In our country, the process is going ahead in an organised and faster manner than in most European countries. That is why more and more of our fellow citizens trust them.
The coronavirus lockdown is costing Greece around 750 million euros ($902 million) per week, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Thursday. The Greek government has raised its projection for the cost of support measures for the society and the real economy to 11.6 billion euros this year. The initial forecast was for 7.5 billion euros.
Addressing a conference, Staikouras said the burden on the state budget from the new extension of restrictive measures until March 16 will total 1.2 billion euros. Of these, 520 million are aimed at measures to support commerce. The Minister said that the country’s cash reserves amounted to 34 billion euros, although he noted that the available funds were not unlimited. Staikouras underscored that proper management, combined with the country’s ability to borrow from capital markets and a relaxed fiscal policy framework agreed on a European level, were the key to success. He said that the Finance Ministry was not only taking into account the needs to the end of the pandemic crisis, but also the financing needs of the real economy and society in the post-Covid era.
Staikouras said that the government has supported the real economy with 27 billion euros so far during the pandemic crisis and stressed that the government has prepared a funding plan of projects and reforms to be funded by the Recovery Fund. He added that Greece expected the disbursement of 5.5 billion euros from the Recovery Fund this year (4.2 billion in support and 1.3 billion in loans).
Earlier, Finance Ministry officials announced the full exemption from income tax and the solidarity levy of all means of state support provided in the context of the pandemic. These include the special-purpose compensation, handouts, income contributions, rental cut compensation and all takings from the cheap state loans program. This adds up to more than 12 billion euros distributed over the last 12 months to hundreds of thousands of enterprises, employees and freelance professionals. This means that tax offices will not take into account the cash provided to taxpayers and enterprises in the context of the support measures.
In more detail, the 2,219 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
