Worries about virus spike in the north
In spite of concerns about a spike in coronavirus infections in the country’s north, authorities are not currently planning any additional restrictive measures such as earlier closing times for bars and restaurants and restrictions on movement for vulnerable citizens, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Monday.
The National Organization for Public Health (EODY) on Monday reported 715 new Covid-19 new infections and seven new fatalities, pushing the total number of cases nationwide since the onset of the pandemic to 31,496 and the death toll to 581. Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients who are intubated jumped to 95 from 84 on Sunday.
Of the new infections, 260 were recorded in Attica, with 84 in Thessaloniki and double-digit figures in several other northern cities, including Ioannina with 52 and Serres with 31.
In Serres, EODY workers confirmed 13 coronavirus infections in a nursing home, the fourth such facility to suffer a cluster of cases. The patients are seven elderly residents who were asymptomatic but nevertheless transferred to Thessaloniki’s AHEPA Hospital, as well as six staff members.
Petsas said authorities were particularly concerned about the situation in Thessaloniki, Ioannina and Serres, which Central Macedonia Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas on Sunday described as “one step away” from lockdown.
Petsas said authorities would take all necessary action to avoid the virus spreading across the country from the worst-hit regions. However, he said plans for additional restrictions – beyond the nighttime curfews and mandatory face mask regulations that came into effect on Saturday – are not currently on the table.
