Greece Records 10 More Coronavirus Deaths; More than 1,500 Cases

The recorded coronavirus cases in Greece remained high on Sunday, albeit significantly lower compared to previous days.

A total of 1,558 new cases were announced by EODY, the Greek Public Health Organization, down from the 2,562 cases that were recorded across the nation on Saturday and 2,691 cases that had been recorded on Friday.

Currently, there are 123 patients with the coronavirus on ventilators in Greece, which is one less than the number of patients undergoing the invasive treatment in the country yesterday, Saturday.

Tragically, ten more individuals suffering from the COVID-19 disease passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, up from seven, yesterday, but down from 14 that had died on Friday.

A total of 55,573 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, down from the 91,739 tests that had been conducted over the 24-hour period prior to Saturday.

This brings the positivity rate for today to 2.8 per cent.

610 of the new cases were recorded in Athens, 112 in Thessaloniki and 91 in Heraklion, on Crete.

15 more cases were identified in the entrance points of the country.

Emergency curfew on Mykonos as Coronavirus continues to spread

Meanwhile, new, strict measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus were imposed on Saturday on the popular Greek island of Mykonos, sparking negative reactions among locals and visitors.

According to a statement issued by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection of Greece, a nighttime curfew came in place on Saturday, July 17 and will last until Monday, July 26.

Specifically, all people on the island, including residents and visitors will be barred from being able to get out of their houses and rooms from 01:00 am until 06:00 am the following morning.

Additionally, music will be banned in every public venue on the island, starting from Saturday, at 18:00 local time.

These measures have made many people who were planning on visiting Mykonos to change their trips, by either changing dates or even canceling their plans altogether.

In the meantime, new rules for the hospitality and entertainment sectors in Greece, including restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs and places of entertainment, came into force on Friday.

Government officials warned that inspections will be frequent and strict in order to ensure compliance with the measures that aim to put brakes on the fourth wave of the pandemic that is well underway in Greece.

The new measures will be in force at least until August 31 and include a series of restrictions for those who wish to remain unvaccinated, as well as the general public, regardless of their vaccination status.

Among the measures imposed is that only seated customers will be permitted in places of entertainment, both indoors and outdoors, meaning that no standing or dancing is permitted.

Additionally, indoor spaces can only operate as ”Covid Free” venues that admit only Covid-immunised customers, either through vaccination or illness.

Minors can only enter Covid Free hospitality or entertainment venues after taking a negative self-test that is attested by a parent, and these venues should operate at a maximum capacity of 85 per cent.