Greece’s health authorities and the Civil Protection placed the Regional Unit of Kozani in western Macedonia, North Greece under lockdown. It is the first time, the country places a whole regional unit in lockdown. In spring it was the whole country in lockdown.
The lockdown is imposed from 6:00 a.m. October 16 until October 29, 2020 and the region is at Alarm Level 4.
The Civil Protection said in a statement that the strict restrictions are imposed due to the increased epidemiological burden in the wider area of Kozani and following the relevant today unanimous proposal of the Special Committee of Experts of the Ministry of Health, for urgent reasons to address a serious public health risk and in particular to reduce the spread of coronavirus in Regional Unit of Kozani
The Lockdown measures are:
the mandatory use of a mask in all indoor and outdoor areas, the suspension of all gatherings in public and private areas, as well as the ban on movement outside the Kozani Regional Unit.
Suspended is the operation of:
Public services such as Courts, Prosecutor’s Offices, Mortgage Offices, all kinds of Cadastral Offices and Branches of the body “Hellenic Land Registry”
Archaeological sites, museums, caves
Live performances and auditions, other performing arts. music stages
Film screenings, Rehearsals, TV and filming: Suspension of film and television filming ,Rehearsals via video conference
Nightclubs including banquets and catering services and bars
Catering/Restaurnats: only delivery of products in a package from the store (take away), distribution of products (delivery) and drive-through is allowed.
Playgrounds, all kinds of collective games and training [only individual sports are allowed]
Gyms, Retail
Trade fairs-Sunday markets and other markets
Hairdressers, personal hygiene services, etc.
· Conferences / Exhibitions, amusement park services and theme parks
It is noted that the operation of schools and all kinds of educational structures continues with the mandatory use of masks everywhere, while for Higher Education Institutions only tele-education will apply.
In relation to the operation of the following: Public Services, Private Enterprises, Transport, Food Stores (eg supermarkets, mini markets, bakeries, butchers, fishmongers), Public Markets, Places of Worship / Religious Ceremonies, Hospitals, Hospitals, Centers, Nursing homes, centers for the chronically ill, structures and hostels for vulnerable groups, transitional hostels for the homeless, social structures for the immediate treatment of poverty (dormitories, day care centers, social groceries, public pharmacies, public pharmacies), public pharmacies, camps, Driver Training Activities and Vehicle Technical Inspection Services, the provisions of the Official Gazette, Issue B, 4484 / 11-10-2020 apply, that is with increased protection measures and limited number of participants.
A STRONG RECOMMENDATION is addressed to the inhabitants of the wider area of Kozani to be especially careful and to strictly observe all the measures of self-protection from the COVID-19 infection.
Head of Civil Protection and Deputy Crisis Management Minister, Nikos Hardalias, said that the lcokdown decision was based on the highest levels of the cumulative number of new cases per 100,000 population over a period of 14 days that exceeded the criterion adopted by the EU, the continuous increase in the daily number of new cases, the widespread dispersion of community, the over 220 active cases and their 554 close contacts that are in isolation, but also the dozens of small controlled, but dangerous and spatially scattered clusters throughout the area.”
He appealed to the residents of Kozani to be especially careful in the coming days. “It is vital that we be fully committed to adhering to the measures,” Hardalias stressed.
More on the latest developments of coronavirus in Greece here
