Unnecessary movement discouraged as smoke covers sweltering capital

The National Observatory of Athens (NOA) on Wednesday morning advised residents and visitors across the Attica basin to wear heavy-duty face masks when venturing outdoors to protect themselves from the thick smoke from the north Attica wildfire. 

In an announcement, the NOA said that measurements taken by the European PurpleAir Real-time Air Quality Monitoring platform showed fine airborne inhalable particles far above recommended safety levels in many parts of the capital.

“If you must go out, use an N95, ΚΝ95 or FFP2 mask, which provide protection against PM2.5 particles,” the NOA said, referring to particles of 2.5 micrometers or smaller.

Civil protection authorities are also advising residents and visitors in the Greek capital to restrict their movements outdoors to the essentials, as Greece continues to grapple with the biggest heatwave it has seen in decades and temperatures are forecast to rise above 40 degrees Celsius again on Wednesday.