Update – 22/03/2021
March 22, 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 237,125. 41 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 7,462. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 674. 1,514 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 774 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 179 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
Nikos Chardalias, Greek Minister for Civil Protection, announced a series of alterations to existing Covid-19 measures in Greece on Friday. As of Saturday, the existing weekend curfew from 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM will start later, in effect from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM. Hair salons will open across Greece by appointment starting on Monday, the first step in re-opening non-essential businesses in the country.
Archaeological sites across the country will welcome visitors starting Saturday. Those looking to visit must send the number “6,” to the authorities, wear a mask, and go to the site on foot or on a bicycle — not by car. Greeks living by the sea will now be permitted to go fishing by also sending the number “6,” as announced Friday.
Churches will be open to the faithful on Holy Days with strict social distancing measures in place. Priests and others who work in the church, along with visitors, will be subject to rapid coronavirus testing.
Most of the existing measures will remain in place, however. Citizens will only be allowed to travel within the municipality of their residence, as per existing measures. Additionally, Greeks leaving their homes who send the number “6” to work out must do so by foot or bicycle, and are not permitted to travel by car.
Greece will start offering Coronavirus self-testing kits next month to the entire population of the country, the government said on Saturday. This comes as the latest addition to a series of measures that aim to curve the rising coronavirus infections in the country. Information and details on the new self-tests were announced by the Greek authorities, who claim that Greece will be the first EU member-state to offer these tests to the entire population free-of-charge. According to the governmental guide, free antigen tests will be available from the first week of April to the citizens.
People will be able to take the test themselves at home. When a positive result is found, people will have to report it to the authorities and self-isolate.
“It is a new tool in the country’s battle against the pandemic. The tests will allow better epidemiological monitoring, and of course prevention,” Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ office said in a statement that was released on Saturday.
The accuracy of these tests is believed to vary from 95 to 99 percent, offering a great deal of certainty to those who conduct it.
Greece announced on Monday it is mobilizing private doctors in an effort to contain the pressure on public hospitals struggling to cope with surging Covid-19 infections. Minister of Health, Vassilis Kikilias, said that despite an appeal for volunteers in the last few weeks “very few doctors came forward.”
Of about 200 doctors requested by the government to assist their colleagues in the public sector, just 50 have come forward. Worse yet, attempts over the weekend to woo them with bonus fees failed.
“Taking into account the emergency conditions and the urgent need for treatment of our fellow human beings, the Ministry of Health is mobilizing the services of Pathologists, Pulmonologists and General Practitioners in Attica,” Kikilias announced.
Doctors associations say the government should first recruit residents at state hospitals and other medical staff waiting to be hired before proceeding with the order, which they describe as absolutely extreme.
On Sunday, Greece recorded another 1,514 new Covid-19 cases and the country broke yet another grim record, as a total of 674 people are now intubated in ICU units. The situation in Greece’s hospitals remains critical, with the capacity of many of them in Athens and other large cities being almost overwhelmed.
Kikilias confirmed last week that Greece is “at the toughest point of the pandemic’s development.” He added that public hospitals are “on high emergency mode.”
In more detail, the 1,514 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
