Decision on Oct 28 parades will depend on local viral loads, minister says

The decision on whether to hold the annual military and student parades on the October 28 national holiday will not be uniform for the entire country and will depend on the epidemiological status of each area, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Thursday.

“Thessaloniki is turning ‘red’,” he told Skai television, refering to the highest coronavirus transmission alert level (red or Level 4) on the epidemiological map of Greece.

“Any decisions taken for parades in areas that are red will apply to Thessaloniki as well,” he said and urged the citizens of the northern port city to get vaccinated.

The city has the lowest vaccination rate in Greece and Europe at 53 percent.

The annual parades take place to commemorate the October 28, 1940 anniversary of Greece’s refusal to ally with the Axis powers in World War II, known as “Ochi Day.”

Last year’s festivities were cancelled due to the pandemic.