Athena, Europe Brief News – Greece decided to lift pandemic restrictions such as mask-wearing indoors and COVID certificates.
Greece’s health minister has announced most remaining coronavirus measures will be lifted over the next couple of months until the end of August.
The decision came ahead of the summer tourism period.
The authorities will consider reinstating the pandemic restriction in September.
For the first time in two years, Greeks will also be able to celebrate Orthodox Easter, which falls on April 24 this year, with no restrictions on gatherings or attendance at churches or other public events. Plevris said the use of masks was still recommended for crowded outdoor events.
All measures are to be re-examined on Sept. 1, Plevris said.
The requirement for regular self-tests for students and teachers to attend schools will also be lifted May 1, while any remaining restrictions on the number of people allowed into indoor areas will be lifted on the same day.
Separately, the country’s president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, was diagnosed as positive with COVID-19, and was quarantining at home with mild symptoms, her office said Wednesday.
Greece has seen a spike in coronavirus cases with the omicron variant, with thousands of new cases and dozens of deaths each day. The country of around 11 million people has nearly 3.2 million confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, and more than 28,000 deaths.