Greece is seeing a new spike in Covid-19 infections, mostly in Attica, that is stoking concerns the second wave of the pandemic will further cripple tourism and the country’s economy. Authorities are now mulling over putting in place still further restrictions to halt the spread of the disease.
According to the National Organization for Public Health (EODY), Tuesday saw 416 new cases of the coronavirus and five fatalities, which took the total number of confirmed infections nationwide to 18,123 and the death toll to 388. Of those cases, 240 were in Attica, and 59 were detected at Greece’s entry points. Medical advisers to the administration say the course of the pandemic is still “stable” and that the second wave has not yet peaked. Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias was quoted on future measures by Kathimerini saying:
“The issue is not to talk about new measures but for those that have already been announced to be implemented. Things can get better but they can also get worse, and that depends on us.”
The minister was also asked about the alarm over 12 crew members of the Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship who tested positive on Monday. Those cases, as it turned out, were claimed to have been false-positives because of the Heraklion testing facility that conducted them. Mein Schiff 6 is the first cruise in Greek waters since the spring lockdown. The ship was diverted to Pireus and held over briefly, so that further tests could be performed.