Protesters gathered near Thessaloniki’s iconic White Tower on Friday to demonstrate against the nationwide lockdown set to begin in the early morning hours of Saturday. Protesters were hit with tear gas after they threw rocks at policemen at the scene.
The demonstrators, who communicated their plans to demonstrate in social media groups, called for an end to both the local lockdown in Thessaloniki, as well as the nationwide lockdown which will begin on Saturday.
Many of the nearly 150 protesters were either not wearing masks, or wearing them incorrectly. After they began to throw rocks and bottles at police, injuring two officers, the crowd was dispersed by tear gas and flares from the police.
Thessaloniki, Greece’s second most populous city after Athens, has witnessed an increased number of cases in recent weeks. On Friday, 683 of the 2,448 Covid cases recorded were located in the city.
On account of Thessaloniki’s high case numbers, the city was placed in a local lockdown in early November. On Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that, starting Saturday morning, the entire country would be subject to a second lockdown until November 30.
According to infectious disease experts, the move was the only way to effectively curb the spread of the virus, because Greece had entered a very precarious situation, with cases continuing to rise despite the earlier strict anti-virus measures.
The nationwide lockdown will resemble the one imposed in the country in the Spring, in which residents had to report their travel by text message or with an official document. Greeks will have to have specific reasons in order to leave their home, such as shopping for basic goods, seeking medical treatment, or helping out during an emergency.
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