Covid-19: Shops will Not Open in Thessaloniki, Kozani and Achaia

Greece’s General Secretariat of Civil Protection on Saturday announced that shops in the regional units of Thessaloniki, Kozani and Achaia will not open on Monday, April 5, which is the day the country’s retail sector is scheduled to restart operations.

The decision came following an emergency meeting of the health ministry’s committee of experts that was called due to the sharp spike in coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the three areas.

For now, the shops in Thessaloniki (Central Macedonia Region), Kozani (Western Macedonia Region) and Achaia (Peloponnese Region) will remain closed until Monday, April 12. It is noted that the three areas have ‘dark red’ level (very high-risk) Covid-19 status on the country’s coronavirus risk-assessment map.

Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias on Friday had said that the epidemiological situation in the three areas was “particularly worrying”.

Hardalias said that active cases in Kozani had reached 1,458, in Thessaloniki were at 3,776 and in Achaia at 1,889.

“It is of severe importance that health measures especially in these three areas are followed… It is necessary so we do not see the worst case scenario come true,” the deputy minister had said.

Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias.

During Friday’s briefing, Hardalias said the following areas were being moved to Covid-19 ‘dark red’ level (very high-risk) due to a rise in cases: the regional unit of Kilkis, the municipalities of Serres, Halki (Larissa), Konitsa (Ioannina), Skyros (Evia) Astypalea, Rhodes, Leros, Galatini (Askio-Kozani).

Other areas in Greece already in ‘dark red’ are: the region of Attica; the regional units of Etoloakarnania, Achaia, Viotia, Evia, Fthiotida, Evritania, Argolida, Arcadia and Corinth, Halkidiki, Pella, Kozani, Lesvos, Zakynthos, Mykonos; and the municipalities of Kalymnos, Chios, Anogia (Rethymno), Chania, Ioannina, Katerini, Amphipoli (Serres), Veria, Skiathos, Karditsa, Kastoria, Orestidos and Grevena.

For further information (in Greek) on the restrictive measures in ‘red’ and ‘dark red’ areas, press here. The map is updated every week.

Greek health authorities on Friday announced 3,080 new coronavirus cases and 72 deaths.

Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of cases in the country has reached 270,230. The Covid-19 death toll in Greece is 8,232.