Health minister rules out extra Covid measures during Thessaloniki visit

Amid concern among health experts due to an epidemiological spike in northern Greece, Health Minister Thanos Plevris on Wednesday called for strict adherence to Covid-19 measures but fell short of announcing additional restrictions.

“We are here to inform,” Plevris said during a visit to the northern port city of Thessaloniki, adding that the government was making an effort to raise the vaccination rate in northern Greece which he said is in some areas below the national average. 

Plevris and his deputy Mina Gaga – a medical doctor who is also the president of the European Respiratory Society – earlier met with local officials to address the surge. 

On Tuesday a parent disrupted the operation of a local school, threatening teachers and a school principal after his son was forbidden from entering the premises without the results of a self-test.