Greece to announce new anti-pandemic measures & restrictions at 6 p.m.

Greece’s health Minister Thanos Plevris will announce new measures and restrictions against the pandemic at 6 o’ clock on Tuesday, November 2, state broadcaster ERT reported. The announcements will be done after another emergency meeting of the Prime Minister with the country’s top epidemiologists at 1 o’ clock.

The government has been forced to take measures as coronavirus infections hit twice an all times record in the last three days and the situation in hospitals in northern and central Greece are in dire condition. Note that the government relaxed restrictions and banned local lockdowns in very high risk areas since October 6.

Measures on the table

According to scenarios circulating on media websites, among the measures is the increase of obligatory rapid tests for unvaccinated employees in the private sector and at their own expenses, while new restrictions for unvaccinated customers in restaurants, bars etc are not ruled out.

It is not clear whether the restrictions will be imposed horizontal across the country or in “red” regions only, that is locally.

Epidemiologists reportedly want that the government considers the following measures especially in restaurants and entertainment sector, where since the beginning of the month closed spaces are operating with 100% capacity (meaning: no safety distances) for vaccinated customers only but also with unvaccinated staff.

– Compulsory vaccination of employees in catering and entertainment. It is a measure that does not seem to have many supporters in the government, and one should note that government officials have been reiterating that expanding the mandatory vaccination was not in the plans.

– Additional restrictions for unvaccinated customers in mixed, open spaces in restaurants, cafes and bars, as in many venues the spaces are closed either with windows or other constructions.

It should also be taken into consideration, that restaurants and cafes staff works in outdoor spaces often without masks and that there are customers entering venues with the vaccination pass of a relative or a grandparent who has the same name.

At the same time, commuters continue to pack twice a day in public transport means in big cities like Athens, Thessaloniki, as the Transport Ministry has not increased the schedules still in the second year of the pandemic.

Many citizens complain that there are no controls of vaccinations passes or negative Covid-19 tests in trains, intercity buses, ferries etc.

There has been a generalized relaxation in keeping the safety measures or wearing masks since the government gave the green light on October 6 and now it tries to get the situation under control.