Officials in Greece have instituted the mandatory wearing of masks everywhere as of Saturday. The new measure comes as the country breaks records for new daily cases of the coronavirus.
According to the news from Kathimerini, Greece’s health authorities announced 935 new cases on Saturday, which is a new record since the outbreak of the pandemic. The total number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic is 29,992, with 564 deaths.
Last Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced additional measures via a televised address to the nation. The overnight curfews came into effect as of Saturday in the country’s high alert areas, from half past midnight to 5 a.m. Now, mandatory masks indoors and outdoors is the latest severe measure brought to bear. PM Mitsotakis was cited by news outlets saying:
“We remind you that the use of face masks is obligatory in all outdoor spaces. Night-time curfew is now in place. People are not allowed to be outdoors between twelve-thirty midnight and five o’clock in the morning. Please protect public health; avoid crowding. We follow the instructions, we stay safe.”
According to the news, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias also spoke during the televised address noting that as of Monday, the alertness level would change in 24 of 74 prefectures in Greece: 13 showed improvement while 11 showed worsening.
Two prefectures of Greece, Kastoria, and Kozani, will be at the highest coronavirus alert level 4 as of Monday, with most prefectures (58) are still classified as Level 1 or 2, according to Hardalias.