Hard lockdown imposed on three West Attica towns

The curfew in West Attica’s Elefsina, Mandra and Aspropyrgos has been extended and will start at 6 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. as of Friday, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said on Thursday, announcing measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus in three of the area’s five municipalities.

Speaking from the northern port city of Thessaloniki on Thursday, Hardalias also said that retail stores, hair and nail salons, and bookstores will also be closed back down in the three West Attica town after being allowed to open last weekend as part of a nationwide easing of restrictions ahead of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Churches in these areas will only be allowed to conduct funerals, which can only be attended by the immediate family of the deceased, while farmer’s markets are also on hold, Hardalias said.

The new measures for Elefsina, Mandra and Aspropyrgos go into effect at 6 a.m. on Friday and will be reviewed in a week’s time, he added.