Ministry orders water company to cut debtors some slack

Athens water utility EYDAP has been ordered not to cut off supply to indebted consumers following scenes of crowding outside its downtown regional headquarters.

According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Infrastructure Minister Kostas Karamanlis dispatched an order to the management of the state-run company asking that it assure consumers that their water supply will not be cut as a result of unpaid bills.

The missive came as long queues formed outside the EYDAP office off Omonia Square, where there are just two employees at the customer service desk and all incoming consumers are scanned for a fever.

The government is concerned that such scenes of overcrowding as lockdown measures are gradually lifted may lead to a spike in coronavirus infections.