Greece confirmed 416 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, with 240 of these from the region of Attica, especially central Athens. The Greek National Public Health Organisation said 55 of the new cases were related to known clusters and 59 were identified at entry points to the country.

There were five more deaths, bringing Greece’s death rate to 388, with most of these having an average age of 78 or more and 96.6 per cent suffering from an underlying condition or over 70 years of age.

There has been a total of 18,123 cases. Of these, 2,898 relate to travel abroad and 7,479 to already known cases.

There are 79 peopleintubated in hospitals, and their median age is 68 years; 88.6 per cent have underlying conditions and/or are 70 years old or more, while 19 are women. Another 207 have been discharged from ICUs since the pandemic arrived in Greece.

Professor Gkikas Magiorkinis, a member of the Ministry of Health’s experts group, gave his biweekly television briefing and said that the “Mein Schiff 6” cruiseship, docked at Piraeus on Tuesday morning located 12 crew members who tested positive to COVID-19 though all 12 were cleared in follow-up testing which also cleared 24 others traced to them. “The measures were taken to limit the possibility of cluster infections,” he said, explaining the interruption of the cruise, with stops at three Greek ports. Samples taken from the ship’s surfaces also proved to be clear of the virus, he noted.

Greece’s Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said that the rapid rise of infections and particularly of intubated patients did not allow for any measures to ease. The issue is not to keep discussing new measures, but to observe the ones already in effect, he said.

Speaking of schools, he said that 10 units have been suspended nationally, as well as sections of 113 schools. A total of 93 of the 123 schools are located in Attica, Hardalias noted.

In Evrotas, South Peloponnese, the first 805 tests conducted on migrants have shown so far 39 positive cases. They are not all farm workers, he said.