Greece will increase Covid-19 testing and introduce restrictions at local level where clusters of coronavirus infections are reported, the government decided on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and key health and public safety officials had an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning in the wake of a significant increase in Covid-19 infections confirmed over the past four days from June 4 to June 8. A total of 97 new infections, 52 alone on June 8 and 30 among passengers arriving from abroad. The increase set authorities on alert, a week before Greece opens its gate to foreign tourists on June 15 with only random testing and no quarantine.
“We still apply universal tests for all flights. From these extensive checks, 30 cases were identified in 1,300 tests in passengers of various flights from abroad,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters after the meeting.
According to ANT1 TV, among the flight passengers were Greek nationals returning to the country via transit airports.
“We understand from these figures that the evolution of the pandemic is moving at normal levels. But we remain vigilant. We are now preparing for the next big step, which is the opening of seasonal accommodation and the gates of the country to its visitors,” the government spokesman added. He did not mention whether Greece would modify its plans for foreign tourists as of June 15.
He said that over 226,000 Covid-19 tests have been conducted to date since the outbreak in February.
Petsas described the epidemiological picture in the country a month after lifting of the movement restrictions as “good.”
Regarding the regional unit of Xanthi in north-eastern Greece, where 29 infection cases were confirmed on Monday, Petsas said that a total of “3,013 tests were performed in the last few days, and from these tests, 29 cases were detected, most of which were asymptomatic.”
At the meeting today, officials agreed to conduct more tests in parts of the country with alarming clusters like Xanthi and such areas may also be placed on a partial lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
At he meeting, it was also discussed how to organize the health system ahead of the summer tourist season.
