Greek authorities on Monday expressed concern over the increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases in the country, which is set to begin its tourist season in a week.
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“Anyone who believes that we have got rid of the virus, is wrong,” warned the Minister of Citizen Protection, Nikos Hardalias. “We must be vigilant and respect the measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” he told the media.
The ministry announced 97 new cases of the Covid-19 on Monday and two deaths since Thursday.
Almost a third of these 97 new cases involve travelers from abroad, according to a ministerial statement.
From June 15, the two main airports of Athens and Thessaloniki (north) are authorized to welcome visitors from around thirty countries, mainly from the European Union, the main customers of the country, marking the beginning of tourist season.
Regional airports are scheduled to open on July 1.
The total number of deaths due to Covid-19 since the pandemic began in the country in late February stands at 182 people and the number of cases at 3,049, according to the ministry.
Among the 97 new cases identified, twenty-nine people tested positive in the department of Xanthi in the north-east of the country, a region already affected by the virus in April.
The ministry announced the resumption of the publication of the daily report on the situation of Covid-19 in the country, stopped last week because there were only less than five new cases per day.
Deconfinement in Greece began gradually on May 4 after six weeks of strict traffic restrictions punishable by heavy fines.
For the past two weeks, bars and cafes have reopened in the country, but social distancing measures have been little respected.
Last weekend, the authorities had to close a bar on the cosmopolitan island of Mykonos in the Cyclades for two months, where social distancing had not been respected by imposing a fine of 20,000 euros on the owner.
The president of the doctors’ union, Athanassios Exadaktylos, has warned against further restrictive measures if the recommendations on the wearing of masks and on social distancing are not respected, in an interview on public television Ert.
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