Athens, (Samajweekly) Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented a “roadmap” for the further reopening of his country’s economy in May amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Greece has been under a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown since November 7, 2020, which is now being gradually eased, reports Xinhua news agency.
In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, Mitsotakis said that Greeks will not be allowed to travel freely during the Christian Orthodox Easter, which will be celebrated on May 2, due to the still severe pandemic situation, but further steps towards “freedom” will be made in May.
“The policy of gradual and controlled lifting of restrictions pays off… Our goal is a safe Easter and a free summer,” Mitsotakis said.
According to the government’s timetable, on May 3 the catering sector will partially restart with customers allowed to be served outdoors, and the night-time curfew will start at 11 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. currently, he said.
On May 10, Greece’s kindergartens, primary and middle schools will reopen, he said.
High schools restarted a few days ago.
As of May 15, Greece will be open to tourism, travel between the country’s regions will be allowed and the culture sector will also begin to reopen.
The Greek leader reiterated his call on his compatriots to get vaccinated.
“Vaccines are effective and the herd immunity wall is built at a rapid pace… I will ask you to shield your health with this great gift of science. Danger does not lurk in the vaccine but in the disease,” he said.
As of next week, vaccination will also be available for those aged over 30, he said.
To date, about 2.6 million vaccine doses have been administered in Greece, with over 770,000 people having received both doses, according to the latest official figures released by the authorities.
On Wednesday, the Greek authorities reported 3,015 new coronavirus infections and 86 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 323,639 and that of fatalities to 9,713 since the start of the pandemic.
