Mobile phones throughout Paros and Antiparos were buzzing with messages from Greek Civil Protection authorities warning of an “increased COVID-19 case load” and announcing the new mandatory use of face masks and announcing a series of new measures on the two Cycladic islands.
Meanwhile, at a press conference, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias announced new measures designed to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, which has seen a sharp rise in the past week in Greece, and particularly throughout various tourist regions.
The additional measures come just days after various curfews and mandatory midnight closures were announced for large parts of the country, including Thessaloniki, Crete and many other regions.
The new measures, announced on August 14, 2020 include:
-All restaurants, bars and catering businesses will close from 00:00 until 07:00 in the region of Attica, the islands of the Saronic Gulf and the island of Kythira until August 24.
-50 person-limit in all public and social events except those in which special protection measures are applied as restaurants, theatres, cinemas, until August 24 at the epidemiologically burdened areas.
-The whole package of measures applied last week on the island of Poros is now extended to the islands of Paros and Antiparos until August 24. These measures ban any congregation over 9 persons for any reason in public and private areas and four-person limit per table except for families and mandatory use of face masks throughout the island in both outdoor and indoor areas.
-The measures on Poros island are extended to August 24.
-Mandatory use of face masks in military camps, migrants and refugees hosting facilities and solidarity structures
-Civil servants and private sector employees belonging to vulnerable groups will work from home or back office until August 31.
Additionally, Hardalias urged the use of face masks to people returning home from holidays in highly burdened areas and recommended the use of face mask at all indoors facilities.
