Update – 06/11/2020

As of the latest update by the Greek authorities on Thursday, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece is 49,807. 29 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 702. The number of patients treated in intensive care units stands at 187. Another record high 2,917 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece, maintaining the daily number above 2,000. 588 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 862 in the Thessaloniki region.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Thursday a three-week nationwide lockdown in an effort to stop an “aggressive” jump in infections and avoid an “unbearable” pressure on hospitals. The lockdown will be the second since the start of the pandemic and will go into effect on Saturday morning. “We are dealing with the biggest health crisis of the last 100 years,” Mitsotakis said in a televised address to the nation, adding that his decisions are being guided by the expert committee advising the government. “Once again, I choose to take measures sooner rather than later.”

All retail stores will close and travel between regions will be banned, while authorities will reintroduce a system obliging citizens to send text messages to a government number to leave home to work, shop, visit a doctor or take exercise. Secondary schools will close and introduce distance learning, but kindergartens and primary schools will stay open. Taxis will be allowed to have just one passenger per ride, with the exception of families, couples and people who require assistance for their movement.

Mitsotakis says a surge in new cases over the last five days have “forced” him to take measures now, instead of waiting to see if recent restrictions will pay off. If the government waited and current measures didn’t work, the pressure on hospitals would be “unbearable,” he explained. “We estimate, we hope, that three weeks will be enough,” he added. He also said the government will financially support citizens who will be affected by the new lockdown, noting that details of the plan will be presented by Finance Minister Christos Staikouras later today. The government hopes Greece will return to “some kind of normalcy” before the Christmas holidays in December, but several restrictive measures will remain in place.

He accepted responsibility for the mistakes made in the handling of the pandemic, citing “a general complacency” which followed the successful handling of the first wave of the coronavirus.

In the same presser, infectious diseases professor Sotiris Tsiodras presented data from the last few weeks showing the surge in new cases and intubations. “Never before in modern history has it happened that we have so many patients in ICUs from a virus that causes pneumonia,” he said, adding that more than 170 hospital admissions are recorded per day, causing unbearable pressure on the national healthcare system.

The decision to propose a general lockdown was unanimous among the expert committee. “We recognize the consequences and hope it will be temporary,” he said.

Greek authorities on Thursday published a list of the businesses that will be allowed to continue working during the three-week lockdown announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier in the day, effective as of 6 a.m. on Saturday. Under the restrictions – aimed at curbing a steep rise in coronavirus infections – supermarkets, bakeries, fishmongers and other food stores will continue to operate according to their regular opening hours, throughout the three-week lockdown.

Pharmacies, gas stations, kiosks, dry cleaners and pet shops will also continue to operate as usual, as will retailers operating electronic stores with a delivery service.

Weekly neighborhood flea markets will proceed as usual, though the number of stalls will be slashed by half and will have to maintain a distance of at least 5 meters from one another.

Stores selling eyewear and hearing aids can receive customers by appointment only, while businesses selling electronic devices and services – such as telephone and internet providers or electronic retailers – will be able to operate, though only electronically via their e-shops or websites. Restaurants can provide takeaway or drive-through services.

The government is also allowing hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons to stay open through Sunday, November 8. Supermarkets and other food stores will be allowed to open on Sunday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All individuals residing in Greece will need permission to leave their homes during the three-week lockdown announced by the government on Thursday, effective as of 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. The authorization system is identical to that introduced during the spring lockdown, with a combination of quick SMS messages for day-to-day requirements and written approval forms for individuals whose work or other obligations require them to travel regularly.

Under the SMS system, cellphone users must send the toll-free 13033 hotline the number corresponding to one of six approved reasons to leave home, followed by their name and address. The six reasons are: 1. Visiting a pharmacy or a doctor, the latter by appointment only; 2. Doing a shopping run to a supermarket or grocery store, when delivery is not an option; 3. Visiting a bank when an online transaction is not possible; 4. Providing assistance to someone in need or chaperoning children to/from school; 5. Attending a funeral or exercising parental visitation rights; 6. Physical exercise or walking a pet – up to two people can engage in these activities on the condition that they maintain a distance of 1.5 meters from one another.

Regarding yesterday’s 2,917 cases:

27 were detected during the tests carried out at Greece’s entry points

5 imported cases that took the test voluntarily

588 cases were detected in the regional unit of Attica

862 cases were detected in the regional unit of Thessaloniki

19 cases were detected in the regional unit of Aitoloakarnania

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Argolida

3 cases were detected in the regional unit of Arkadia

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Arta

19 cases were detected in the regional unit of Achaia

8 cases were detected in the regional unit of Voiotia

4 cases were detected in the regional unit of Grevena

162 cases were detected in the regional unit of Drama

41 cases were detected in the regional unit of Evros

14 cases were detected in the regional unit of Evoia

3 cases were detected in the regional unit of Zakynthos

3 cases were detected in the regional unit of Ilia

97 cases were detected in the regional unit of Imathia

40 cases were detected in the regional unit of Iraklio

4 cases were detected in the regional unit of Thesprotia

9 cases were detected in the regional unit of Ioannina

37 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kavala

11 cases were detected in the regional unit of Karditsa

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Karpathos

19 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kastoria

21 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kerkyra

39 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kilkis

13 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kozani

11 cases were detected in the regional unit of Korinthos

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Kos

2 cases were detected in the regional unit of Lakonia

127 cases were detected in the regional unit of Larissa

36 cases were detected in the regional unit of Lesvos

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Limnos

31 cases were detected in the regional unit of Magnisia

34 cases were detected in the regional unit of Messinia

31 cases were detected in the regional unit of Xanthi

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Paros

67 cases were detected in the regional unit of Pellas

60 cases were detected in the regional unit of Pierias

2 cases were detected in the regional unit of Preveza

6 cases were detected in the regional unit of Rethymno

47 cases were detected in the regional unit of Rodopi

9 cases were detected in the regional unit of Rodos

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Samos

168 cases were detected in the regional unit of Serres

22 cases were detected in the regional unit of Trikala

8 cases were detected in the regional unit of Fthiotida

21 cases were detected in the regional unit of Florina

15 cases were detected in the regional unit of Fokida

31 cases were detected in the regional unit of Chalkidiki

21 cases were detected in the regional unit of Chania

106 cases remain under investigation

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