Greece shattered its daily death record today, reporting 72 deaths, more than any other day since the beginning of the pandemic.

The figures were released during the daily report given by health and public safety experts.

The news followed an earlier announcement that two private hospitals in Thessaloniki, along with their staff, were being forcibly appropriated by the government to support the increasing number of patients being hospitalized with Covid-19.

“In the prefecture of Thessaloniki and after the very heavy epidemiological burden that is testing the limits of hospitals as well as of staff, it was deemed necessary to operate simple COVID-19 beds in private clinics,” the ministry said.

The ministry said in its statement that it had initially requested beds in private hospitals be made available to the government-run public health system for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, but that “despite the effort, the finding of a mutually acceptable solution was not possible,” leading to the forcible appropriation by government order.

Positive cases, deaths and hospitalizations are surging in Greece, which is currently in the midst of a brutal second wave, like much of Europe.

Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Church of Greece is currently hospitalized with Covid-19, while last week, a high-ranking bishop from northern Greece, Metropolitan Ioannis of Langada, died.

Last week, the government ordered a nationwide lockdown, shuttering businesses and public gatherings and prohibiting the movement of people in the country without pre-approval by authorities via text messaging.