Greek city to use Christmas money for more ICU beds

A city in northern Greece hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic said Thursday it will scrap plans to set up Christmas decorations and a nativity scene this year to donate the money to the local hospital's intensive care ward.

"We have decided to use the funds to pay for two additional ICU spaces, three medical monitors, and 1,000 protective suits for medical staff," the mayor of Serres, Alekos Chrysafis, told The Associated Press.

City officials said they would announce further details of the donation to the state-run Serres General Hospital at a later date.

Cities in northern Greece have been the hardest hit by the pandemic. The daily number of cases in the country's second-largest city, Thessaloniki, remains higher than those reported in greater Athens — an area with a population more than three times larger.

Greece on Thursday extended a nationwide lockdown by another week, through Dec. 14.

[AP]