Amid upward trend in Covid-19 cases, gov’t mulls brief lockdown

As an upward trend in Covid-19 infections in Greece continues, with health authorities on Thursday announcing 359 new cases and nine new deaths, the government is considering the possibility of imposing a brief lockdown in a bid to curb the further spread of the pandemic, Kathimerini understands. 

Thursday's 359 new cases – 212 of which were recorded in Attica – brought the nationwide total of infections since the pandemic hit Greece in February to 14,400 while the nine new fatalities pushed the death toll up to 325.

Government and health experts are expected to monitor the situation for another 10 days to see whether new restrictions imposed on Attica this week have any impact in curbing the transmission of the virus. If not, they are said to be considering a new lockdown, this time only for a few days.

Addressing a media briefing on Thursday, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said authorities were “adjusting to a dynamic phenomenon and will take any measures necessary.” “The next few months will be difficult,” Petsas said. “We should all take care to observe the measures recommended by experts and put a stop to the increase in cases we’ve seen over the past few days.”