Decision on masks expected this week, government says

The government’s coronavirus advisory committee is expected “this week” to consider abolishing the requirement to wear masks outdoors, the government spokesperson has said.

“We all hope that we are close to this given the epidemiological picture,” Aristoteleia Peloni told reporters. “In any case this is a decision that should be taken by experts, evaluating all the data, this week week.”

“The spread of the virus, however, continues and poses a risk to those who have not been vaccinated. For that reason, we are extending the free distribution of self-tests to population groups and we are making every effort to maintain a high rate of vaccination,” she added.

Regarding the country’s vaccination rate, Peloni said that as of Monday, “more than 7.5 million vaccinations had been administered. More than 4,520,000 citizens have been vaccinated with at least one dose, or 43.11 percent of the population, while more than 3,175,000 citizens have completed their vaccination, that is 30.24 percent of the population.”