Greece’s health authorities have reported a new daily record of 21,657 COVID-19 new cases in the last 24 hours on Tuesday.
The spike in new infections is more than double the 9,284 cases Greece recorded on Monday.
Of the new infections, 9,882 were reported in Attica and 2,665 in Thessaloniki. The National Organization for Public Health (EODY) also announced 60 deaths, down from 66 on the previous day. There were 629 patients on ventilators, same as on Monday.
“Omicron prevails, so we should be prepared and this should not cause panic,” Greek health minister Thanos Plevris told state TV ERT.
Authorities have pre-announced a new lockdown that will come into effect straight after the holidays, starting on 3 January and lasting until the 16th, a date that could be extended depending on the overload of the health sector. The lockdown will mainly affect night-time entertainment venues and theatres.
Since last week Greece has tightened its rules, mandating masks in open spaces, having a double mask rule in shops and banning Christmas and New Year festivities in public places.
There have been a total of 1,105,885 COVID-19 infections in the country since the pandemic began, and the death toll stands at 20,557.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will chair a meeting this morning (Greek time) following the spike in new cases.
In the same context, government spokesman Yiannis Oikonomou, speaking to private TV channel Mega, said that the measures may be implemented earlier “because one always needs to adjust one’s tactics to the extent of the pandemic as it develops”.
More to come.
