Greece to Loosen Covid-19 Restrictions, Make Rapid Tests Available to All

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.

Akis Skertsos, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, announced that Greece will offer free rapid coronavirus tests to everyone in pharmacies across the country, so that a true picture of the current epidemiological situation in the country can be assessed.

Intubations continue to rise in Greece

A total of 649 patients with Covid-19 are intubated in Greece on Friday, surpassing Thursday‘s record of 645 patients, making it the highest number of people undergoing the treatment ever recorded in the country.

Greece identified a total of 2,785 cases of the coronavirus in the country on Friday, 288 fewer than the record-high 3,073 cases diagnosed in the country on Thursday.

The number of patients with Covid-19 who are currently intubated in Greece reached 649 on Friday, which represents four more than those recorded the day before.

A total of 52,850 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country during the day, bringing the positivity rate to 5.27% in Greece. Yesterday, Thursday, the positivity rate was 5.73%.

Tragically, 64 45 people with the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which is 19 more than those who died with the virus on Thursday.

1,281 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed Attica alone; 302 in Thessaloniki

Of the 2,785 coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 1,281 were located in Attica, home to the Greek capital city of Athens.

Instances of the virus were particularly high in the center of the city itself, where 317 cases of Covid-19 were identified Friday.

Piraeus, Athens’ port city, had a total of 197 instances of the virus on Friday.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 302 cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Total 233,079 coronavirus cases in Greece since the start of the pandemic

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 233,079 cases of Covid-19 have 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 75 are associated with foreign travel and 2,101 have been linked to contact with a known case.

Of the 649 patients intubated currently, 82.6% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 68.

On Friday alone, 507 people with the coronavirus were admitted to hospitals in Greece.

Additionally, a total of 1,555 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 64 new deaths recorded on Friday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 7,361, and 95.8% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.