Greece Extends Nationwide Virus Lockdown

World

November 26th, 11:32am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Medical staff conducts a rapid COVID test on an elderly woman in Athens, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. Greece has seen a major resurgence of the virus after the summer, leading to dozens of deaths each day and thousands of new infections. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greece will extend its nationwide lockdown until Dec. 7 as COVID-19 cases continued to surge across the country, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Thursday. Hospitals are operating at almost full capacity, according to health ministry data. Earlier this week, the country’s health minister warned that measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 might be extended beyond November. “Based on the epidemic figures, the pressure on the national health system and the spread of the disease, it is self-evident that the (lockdown) measures can’t be lifted at the end of the month,” said Vassilis Kikilias. The country of about 11 million people now has registered a total of 97,288 COVID-19 cases and 1,902 deaths, with the hardest hit area being northern Greece.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2648501/greece-extends-nationwide-virus-lockdown