Update – 07/07/2021
July 7, 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 429,144. 8 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 12,754. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 168. 1,797 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 1,026 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 62 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
As of July 8, all bars, clubs and other entertainment venues will only be allowed serve seated guests, the government has announced.
Speaking after health authorities reported a sharp rise in new Covid-19 infections, Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias said businesses who flout the regulations will face heavy fines.
He warned that the incidence of the Delta varient was increasing, especially among young people, which be blamed on bars and clubs.
“The Delta mutation has begun to prevail and the unvaccinated are in danger. Since last Monday we have recorded a jump in new cases, which have almost tripled. The new cases have been detected mainly in people of a young age and mainly in entertainment activities in clubs and bars, which facilitate transmission.”
He said businsses will also have to respect the maximum customer thresholds set by ministry of development under the current restriction measures.
Establishments that violate the rules will face a penalty of 5,000 euros and a being shut down for seven days.
A second violation will results in heavier fines and a third violation the confiscation of the business license.
Hardalias said that in sample tests conducted on Tuesday in the southern Athens suburbs of Alimos and Glyfada, 66% of infected people were aged 15-24 years old, and the positivity rate was 6.1 and 8.4%, respectively.
Citing National Public Health Organization (EODY) statistics, he said that the rate of clusters of infection had risen as well, while 32% of people with recorded infections mentioned an outdoor assembly as a possible source of exposure to the coronavirus. In addition, hundreds of infections recorded in the last few days could be traced to entertainment venues.
Although three-quarters of the country’s over-60 year olds have been vaccinated, the Covid-19 variants remain at the “heart of the pandemic,” Greece’s health minister has warned.
Speaking to Skai TV, Vassilis Kikilias urged those who have “doubts, or who are afraid or have been misinformed and may possibly live in remote areas or be bedridden” to seek vaccination, especially as Covid-19 variants continue to spread rapidly.
“The mutations are, unfortunately, at the heart of the pandemic. We saw the British and now we have the Delta variant, which as you see is spreading very fast.”
The minister said that it was encouraging to see that 56,000 people made appointments for vaccination on Monday, of whom 13,500 were aged between 18 and 24.
He added that over 90,000 people were vaccinated on Monday, adding that everything will be done to keep these numbers high.
Guided by a list compiled by the National Public Health Organization (EODY), Alternate Interior Minister Stelios Petsas has embarked on a campaign, on behalf of the government, to increase vaccinations among local communities.
Kathimerini understands that out of the 332 municipalities throughout the country, 82 – one in four – have a vaccination rate of less than 30%.
Alarmingly, 50 of those 82 are below 25%.
Bearing in mind that all the mathematical models show that vaccinations begin to taper off once a threshold close to 40% is reached, it means that these particular municipalities have a large margin for an immediate increase in their percentage, and in the process give a large impetus to the entire inoculation program.
According to sources, the populations of these particular municipalities range from 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants.
The government’s plan entails door-to-door visits with the participation of local officials who are thought to have influence in their local communities.
Among the officials that will be recruited for the endeavor are mayors, clergy, teachers, doctors, businessmen and any other person indicated by the local authorities as capable of mobilizing fellow citizens.
The model is essentially the same as that followed in national elections, where a core few mobilize the rest.
Government sources have told Kathimerini that, especially in the smaller communities, the increase of the percentage of vaccinations is more feasible with this sort of targeted mobilization.
The higher the population, the more difficult the individual mobilization, as it gets lost in the logistics.
For example, the popular tourist island of Mykonos currently appears to be 108% vaccinated based on its population as many visitors living in other areas have been vaccinated on the island.
To prevent these types of discrepancies, as of Tuesday, a thorough registration has started based on the place of residence so that the vaccination rates are accurate at the local level.
In more detail, the 1,797 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
