Update – 13/07/2020

As of the latest update by the Greek authorities yesterday, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece is 3,803. The death toll remained stable at 193, as no new fatalities were reported since yesterday. The number of patients treated in intensive care units stands at 10, while 122 patients have left the intensive care unit. 

MEASURES/RESTRICTIONS

• Greek authorities and health officials are closely monitoring arrivals at the country’s borders amid growing concerns about an increase in imported cases of the coronavirus and are on standby to impose new restrictions if necessary. Already the government has said that restrictions will be tightened at the Promachonas Greek-Bulgarian border crossing from 6 a.m. on July 14. Anyone on a non-essential trip will be forbidden entry unless they can present a negative Covid-19 test conducted up to 72 hours prior to arrival. That decision was taken on Friday following an emergency meeting of government officials and health experts called by the Prime Minister following mounting concern about an increasing number of tourists from Balkan countries testing positive for Covid-19. Visitors from outside of Greece are still required to fill in passenger locator forms (PLF) but that can be done 24 hours before their arrival, not 48 hours before as had previously been the case.

• If the trend continues along today’s lines, experts estimate that the number of imported cases of coronavirus will exceed 1,200 by the end of August. According to the National Public Health Organization, the first 10 days of July have already led to 196 cases of coronavirus being linked to foreign arrivals out of a total of 326 cases nationwide, a rate of 60 percent. In the last 10 days of June, 72 of the 294 cases were found to be imported, a much lower rate of 24.5 percent. Health experts’ greatest concern however is the imported cases which are not traced and can lead to localized spikes in the virus. If unsourced cases – namely infections whose origin cannot be determined – increase to more than 50 a day, this would likely prompt authorities to impose stricter measures.

• Greece’s National Transparency Authority will oversee a government campaign to increase inspections aimed at ensuring that businesses like bars, restaurants and retail stores are complying with public health protocols designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, following the spike in cases in recent days. The General Secretariat of Commerce, the Hellenic Police, the Municipal Police, the Coast Guard and regional health departments are being rallied under the Transparency Authority’s umbrella to begin intensive inspections on businesses that come under their jurisdiction, the director of the authority, Angelos Binis, told Kathimerini.

• The campaign will begin this week and will comprise unannounced spot checks on business and transportation modes on the Greek mainland as well as on the islands, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Binis said, adding that inspections will be intensified over the weekend to prevent overcrowding at bars and large parties. In the meantime, the National Organization for Public Health (EODY) is launching a new and improved system for managing Passenger Locator Forms (PLF), which travelers coming into Greece are obliged to fill in prior to arrival so they can be traced in the event of exposure to a positive Covid-19 case.

The new system will allow EODY to send live alerts to its mobile health units, small and flexible teams of doctors and nurses who can be dispatched quickly to check on reports of infections and outbreaks. There are currently 210 such units in different parts of the country, which have already carried out some 75,000 tests.

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