Covid-19: Schools to Remain Closed for Two Weeks Across Greece

All schools across the country will be closed for a period of two weeks due to heightened transmission of Covid-19 in Greece, Nikos Chardalias, Deputy Minister for Civil Protetction, announced Friday.

Starting Tuesday, since Monday is the holiday Clean Monday, all classes will operate online only for two weeks.

Additionally, the strict lockdown in Attica, home to Athens, the Greek capital, will be extended until March 22.

New regions of Greece have also been designated “dark red,” indicating a high rate of transmission in the area, and will now be under a strict lockdown. The latest dark red areas are Evrytania, Chalkidiki, Kilkis, Lesvos, Ioannina, Metsovo, Skiathos, and Chania.

There will be no exceptions to lockdown on Clean Monday in areas under strict measures, including Athens, Chardalias affirmed on Friday.

Currently, citizens must do their shopping for essential goods within a 2 km radius of their home, and cannot travel outside of their area.

Additionally, there is a weekend curfew from 7:00 PM to 5:00 PM and a weekday curfew of 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM, which can only be broken in case of emergency.

2,405 new cases of the virus, 521 patients on ventilators

These new measures come as Greece recorded a total of 2,405 cases of Covid-19 on Friday, 165 fewer instances of the coronavirus than the 2,570 cases diagnosed in the country on Thursday.

A total of 47,557 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country during the day, bringing the positivity rate down slightly, to 5.05%, in Greece. Yesterday, Thursday, the positivity rate was 5.13%.

The number of patients with Covid-19 who are currently intubated in Greece reached 521 on Friday, which represents 15 more than those recorded on Thursday.

The influx of patients who are currently intubated, which involves placing a tube down a person’s throat to assist in breathing, has put immense strain on the country’s hospitals and has left very few ICU beds available for others.

Tragically, 49 people with the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which is three fewer than those who died with the virus on Thursday.

1,137 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed Attica alone; 235 in Thessaloniki

Of the 2,405 coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 1,137 were located in Attica, home to the city of Athens.

Instances of the virus were particularly high in the center of the city itself, where 278 cases of Covid-19 were identified Friday.

In Piraeus, the port of Athens, 164 new cases of the virus were diagnosed on Friday. Dr. Eva Papaevanggelou, epidemiologist and member of Greece’s coronavirus committee, stated that Piraeus currently has the highest positivity rate in the country.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 229 cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Total 217,018 coronavirus cases in Greece since the start of the pandemic

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 217,018 cases of Covid-19 have now been recorded in the country, including all those who have recovered from the virus.

Of the cases diagnosed in Greece in the past seven days, just 59 are associated with foreign travel and 1,881 have been linked to contact with a known case.

Of the 521 patients intubated currently, 83.5% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 67.

On Friday alone, 464 people with the coronavirus were admitted to hospitals in Greece.

Additionally, a total of 1,472 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 49 new deaths recorded on Friday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 6,986, and 95.8% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.