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Tourists are baking on a beach near Athens despite the heat wave. PHOTO: Reuters
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They are on the verge of closing
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has placed 13 Greek islands in the southern Aegean Sea in the dark red zone for COVID because of the growth of those infected there.
He did not recommend a trip to the islands, except for compelling reasons, Reuters reported. The list includes such popular ones
destinations
like Mykonos,
Santorini
and Rhodes,
which attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every summer.
Greek Deputy Minister of Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said Mykonos and Ios are on the verge of imposing strict anti-epidemic measures, which could mean a new lockdown. He said the situation was also alarming on the islands of Zakynthos, Tinos, Lefkada, Santorini, Paros and Rhodes. The situation in Halkidiki is also being closely monitored, BNR reported.
The infection is spreading very fast due to the delta variant, and the new cases are mainly among young people who visit the crowded bars without taking any precautions. The number of positives for coronavirus has increased especially among 20-30-year-olds, who in most cases make the disease asymptomatic.
“The fourth wave is already in Greece, not as it was thought to come in November,” Tourism Minister Harris Theocharis told the Guardian. According to the British edition, the authorities have sent 30 more police officers to Mykonos to maintain order. They use drones to uncover illegal youth parties in private villas.
Greece relied heavily on the promotion of the so-called clean islands to attract more tourists. The season went very well in June and July, but it is not clear how it will end with
the sharp
rise of
new cases
Last week, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control set up another popular destination in the dark red zone – the island of Crete.
Doctors from the Greek coronavirus control headquarters are demanding that the mandatory wearing of masks outdoors be returned. However, other medics believe that this is not feasible at high temperatures. Extreme heat up to 44 degrees in recent days has forced many companies to put their employees on vacation.
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