Greece Tightens Curbs to Stop Upward Trend in Covid-19 Cases

(Bloomberg) -- The Greek government tightened restrictions on movement by citizens to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as the number of new cases and people hospitalized increased in the last days.

An existing national nighttime curfew will now begin at 6 p.m. during the weekend instead of 9 p.m. in so-called red areas that are considered higher risk, including the two largest cities of Athens and Thessaloniki and their greater regions. There is no change to the curfew time on weekdays. At weekends in red areas, only supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations will be allowed to operate.

Greece reported Feb. 2 the highest daily increase in new Covid-19 cases since December 11, with the number of new cases remaining above 1,000 since then. High schools will close in red areas, while retail outlets will return to the click and collect method of shopping only. All measures come into effect on Feb. 6 at 6.a.m. local time.

Greece has so far administered more than 360,000 vaccines, covering just over 3% of the population, with 291,259 people having received at least one dose. The country's health ministry said Friday that it will limit the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to people who are under 65 and use of the company's vaccine are expected to begin after February 12.

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