Greece closed its most popular tourist site, the Acropolis, on Wednesday as the country experiences its earliest heatwave on record.
The UNESCO-listed archaeological site in Athens closed from 12pm to 5pm on Wednesday, as temperatures reached 43 degrees Celsius.
Schools were also closed in several regions of the country on Wednesday and will remain closed on Thursday. The labour ministry advised public-sector employees to work from home, and ordered a pause from midday to 5pm for outdoor work, including food delivery, to Thursday.
These measures come as Greece experiences its first heatwave of the year. The state TV meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos noted this is the earliest heatwave in Greece’s recorded history.
“In the 20th century we never had a heatwave before 19 June. We have had several in the 21st century, but none before 15 June,” Giannopoulos said.
The climate crisis and civil protection ministry has warned of a very high risk of fires in the Attica region around Athens.
Source: The Guardian.
