Face mask now mandatory in bid to curb virus spread

Wearing a face mask is now mandatory in all enclosed places of work and open-air public areas where there is crowding, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said Tuesday, noting that the measure applies nationwide irrespective of local coronavirus transmission levels.

Addressing the same briefing, Gkikas Magiorkinis, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Athens University, said that October would be a difficult month due to dropping temperatures which might lead to a spike in cases.

“If we stay at this level, we’re alright,” he said. 

On Tuesday, authorities announced 408 new infections and six fatalities, pushing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 23,060 and the death toll to 462. Of the new infections, 170 were in Attica.

Apart from Attica, authorities are concerned about Kozani and Ioannina, in the country’s north and northwest, where outbreaks have been reported.