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.

Comments

Μπέος: «Εύστοχα χαρακτηρίστηκε φτύσιμο στα μούτρα των μελών της ΕΕΑ»

Καρφιά προς την Επιτροπή Επαγγελματικού Αθλητισμού έριξε με δήλωσή του στα social media ο Αχιλλέας Μπέος. Με αφορμή την απόφαση του CAS για την υπόθεση ΠΑΟΚ-Ξάνθης, ο δήμαρχος Βόλου θυμήθηκε τις ενέργειες της επιτροπής στην περίπτωση του Ολυμπιακού Βόλου το 2011 όταν εκείνος ήταν ο ισχυρός άνδρας της ομάδας. Επίσης εξέφρασε την απορία του για το ότι κανείς μέχρι σήμερα δεν έχει υποβάλλει την παραίτησή του. Αναλυτικά όσα έγραψε ο Αχιλλέας Μπέος: «Η απόφαση του Διεθνούς Αθλητικού Δικαστηρίου (CAS) για την υπόθεση των ΠΑΟΚ–Ξάνθης, αναμφίβολα είναι ένα ηχηρό χαστούκι γι αυτό που στην Ελλάδα ονομάζουμε Επιτροπή Επαγγελματικού Αθλητισμού, που υποτίθεται αξιολογεί, κρίνει και αποφασίζει αντικειμενικά και με βάση το ισχύον Δίκαιο και στην πραγματικότητα αποδεικνύεται ένα εργαλείο άσκησης μικροπολιτικής και ικανοποίησης αθέμιτων επιθυμιών και επιδ...

Ten Unforgettable Things to Do Around Syntagma Square in Athens

Syntagma Square, Athens. Credit: Public Domain Syntagma Square has literally been the very heart of Athens ever since the city became the capital of the modern Greek state. With the Greek Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier looming over it, it is rich with history and is the place where most major events of the last two centuries have taken place. Its name in Greek means “Constitution Square,” a name granted by Greece’s first modern royal, King Otto, on September 3, 1843, after an uprising of the people. This was a smart political move, since the royal palace overlooked the square. In 1934, the royal palace was turned over to the Greek Parliament, and ever since that time, Syntagma Square has been the place where all public protests and demonstrations have taken place. Syntagma Square home to historic demonstrations and protests In December of 1944, just after the departure of the occupying Nazi troops, a people’s rally at the square was marred b...

Inside the Magnificent Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete

The Minoan palace at Knossos. Credit: Gary Bembridge /Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-2.0 The Palace of Knossos, located about five kilometers (three miles) south of Heraklion on Kephala hill, was the largest of all the Minoan palaces in Crete. It was also at the core of the highly sophisticated civilization that flourished on the island over 3,500 years ago. The discovery of the Minoan Palace of Knossos The discovery and subsequent excavation of the palace dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Before then, Knossos had only served as a place mentioned in Greek mythology. The first modern scholar to take a serious interest in the area was the German Heinrich Schliemann, who in 1870 had excavated the site believed to be Troy. Schliemann was certain that a major Minoan palace lay hidden near Heraklion, but the Ottoman authorities who still ruled the island at the time denied any permission to dig there. Years afterward, the British archaeologist Arthur Evans, inspired b...

The Fascinating History of Thessaloniki’s Iconic White Tower

The White Tower. Credit: ΣΟΛΑΚΙΔΗΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΣ /Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 4.0 Residents of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, often use its White Tower as a point of reference when giving directions in the beautiful seaside city. That’s because the tower is by far Thessaloniki’s most iconic monument. The ancient city, located in northern Greece, has a rich history stretching from antiquity to the modern era, but is most noted for its importance during the Byzantine period. During that time, Thessaloniki was a competitor with the great city of Constantinople in terms of its wealth and influence. The White Tower was a witness to many of the city’s most important historical events, and its role in Thessaloniki changed as did the ownership of the city itself throughout the millennia. Studying the history of the White Tower means learning the history of Thessaloniki. The Tower’s strategic location along the Thermaic Gulf made it perfect for guarding the city from thre...

The World’s Oldest Living Olive Tree is on Crete

The most ancient olive tree in the world, in Crete. Credit: Dimitra Damian/Greek Reporter The oldest olive tree in the world is located in the village of Ano Vouves of Kissamos in Chania, Crete. The ancient tree is 3000 years old, as determined by the international scientific community. The ancient olive tree in Vouves has a trunk with a circumference of 12.5 meters (41 feet), and a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet). It belongs to the local tree variety of tsounati, and was grafted at a height of 3 meters onto a wild olive tree. Because of the grafting, its trunk has been so beautifully shaped by nature that it resembles a sculpture. In 1990, after a unanimous decision in the prefecture of Chania, the Vouves Olive Tree was declared a Natural Monument of great importance due to its status as the world’s oldest tree of its kind. The oldest olive tree still produces high-quality olives The fruits of the ancient olive tree make the best olive oil in the world, making the area...

Rolls-Royce Names Panos Kakoullis New CFO

Rolls-Royce aircraft engine. Credit: Mark Kobayashi Hillary/ CC BY 2.0 British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce will name Panos Kakoullis as its new CFO, Reuters reported on Monday. Kakoullis will start in his new role on May 3. The company hopes that the Greek-British Kakoullis, former head of audit and assurance at Deloitte, will successfully guide the company through the coronavirus pandemic. As the the second-largest maker of aircraft engines, Rolls Royce has taken major hits due to the dramatic decrease in air travel caused by the coronavirus. Airlines pay the company by the number of hours each plane is in flight. Accordingly, as the travel industry has come to a standstill, Rolls Royce faced severe financial difficulty in the past year. Rolls Royce CEO Warren East highlighted Kakoullis’ over 30 years experience at Deloitte in a statement: “Panos delivered significant transformational change at Deloitte, streamlining and simplifying the business and we look forwa...

Θεσσαλονίκη: Εκατοντάδες μερίδες φαγητού σε αστέγους από τοπική επιχείρηση εστίασης

Στη Θεσσαλονίκη, μια επιχείρηση εστίασης αποδεικνύει εμπράκτως τι σημαίνει ευαισθησία και κοινωνική ευθύνη. Πρόκειται για το εστιατόριο του Στέφανου Σαράτση που έχει αρχίσει αυτή την προσπάθεια τους τελευταίους δύσκολους μήνες. Συμπαραστάτες του γνωστοί και άγνωστοι πολίτες που βοηθούν όσο μπορούν.

The Greek Who Taught the Japanese to Eat Feta Cheese and Olive Oil

Credit: Facebook/ Thanasis Fragkis Pioneering businessman Thanasis Fragkis was the very first person to introduce olive oil and other traditional Greek products to Japan more than a decade ago. Olive oil, wine, feta cheese and Greek yogurt, relatively unknown food items to this Far Eastern country, are now being enjoyed as the great gourmet delicacies they are. Speaking to Greek Reporter from his home in the town of Mito, around 120 km (76 miles) north of Tokyo, Fragkis was justifiably proud of his achievement. “We have taught the Japanese to eat olive oil, cheeses, including feta, yogurt that were not part of their diet. They hardly knew of olive oil,” he says in wonderment. Originally from the town of Kymi on the island of Evia, Fragkis emigrated to England, where he met his future wife, who is Japanese. “When we got married we thought ‘you are Japanese, I am Greek, what is the point of living in England?’. Greece was a difficult place to start a business in at the ti...

Qoutes

Search This Blog