Finding ways to cope with the heat
Early Thursday afternoon, the temperature had hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in central Athens. And conditions will get worse during the weekend.
“We got some difficult days ahead of us,” Christos Chatzichristodoulou, professor of hygiene and epidemiology at the University of Thessaly and vice president of a committee of public health experts advising the Health Ministry, said in a press conference Thursday. “We will have a new heatwave that will last,” he added.
According to the updated bulletin of dangerous weather phenomena issued by the National Meteorological Service, the heatwave that began Thursday will culminate during the weekend, with temperatures reaching 41-43C in large parts of mainland Greece, 44C in interior locations of the Central Greece and Peloponnese regions, and 45C on the Thessaly Plain. After a day’s respite, on Monday, extreme temperatures will return on Tuesday.
“All of us are in danger from the heat, some are in greater danger,” Chatzichristodoulou said, adding that the vulnerable groups include children, the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with chronic diseases, the overweight and those working outside. He recommended consuming plenty of fluids – but not coffee or alcohol, and eating small, frequent, non-fatty meals; also, light clothing, avoiding lengthy exposure to the sun, as well as exercise outside.
People have found different ways to cope with the heat: Some have shifted their workouts to very early in the morning, others have stopped taking their children to playgrounds, and others still have shifted to moving outdoors by taxi rather than public transport. But most simply avoid venturing outside, as shop employees attest.
Archaeological sites across Greece will be closed during the hottest part of the day to protect visitors and staff from soaring temperatures. According to an announcement on Thursday, sites will close at noon and reopen at 5.30 p.m. until their usual closing time. The measure will be in effect until Sunday, when it will be reviewed pending forecasts for next week.
