Greek Official Says PM Tested Negative; Warns Coronavirus Lockdown May be Extended

In his daily briefing on Thursday, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas warned the public that the new coronavirus measures will be strengthened to prevent spread of coronavirus in the community if infection rates do not subside in the near future.
Regarding the general trend of the pandemic in Greece, Petsas said that the situation in the country still remains crucial.
He noted that the figures cited by the National Public Health Organization on Wednedsday show that the infection rates in many parts of northern Greece remain very high, especially considering that the area had been in a state of lockdown for weeks.
This proved, Petsas stated, that citizens in many parts of Greece were more relaxed about the protection measures than the situation demanded, adding that this relaxed attitude would lead to a delay in the lifting of the nationwide lockdown.
The government, in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the community, is now adopting additional measures, he added.
Petsas announced that beginning on Friday at 6:00 AM, the Albanian border crossing at Krystallopigi will close, with the borders at Kakavia, Evzones and Promachonas remaining open in the north. As of that time, only trucks will be allowed to pass through the border post at Nymfea.
Also at that time, all those entering the country, in addition to a mandatory negative COVID-19 test taken in the last 72 hours, must also undergo a rapid test administered by National Public Health Organization teams. Only those found negative will be permitted to continue their trip to Greece and the destination listed on their Passenger Locator Form.
Regarding the epidemiological burden in northern Greece, Petsas also stated that the number of police checks on people’s movements and in workplaces will ice stepped up as the number of coronavirus cases in the region remains high.
The governmental spokesman also spoke about the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos, after he began displaying symptoms of Covid-19 and was hospitalized, saying “The government sends its best wishes for the speedy recovery of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos.”
The Archbishop’s condition is worrying also because he had personally met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis five days ago.
“As you know, Prime Minister Mitsotakis met with the Archbishop on Saturday, November 14,” Petsas stated. “Both the Archbishop and the Prime Minister had undergone COVID-19 tests, which were negative before their meeting.
“The prime minister took another test, which was also negative, before departing for the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. The checking is constant, he is following all the health protocols and, with all the above, the experts’ recommendation was that there was no reason that he should be placed in quarantine,” Petsas concluded.