The coronavirus alarm level in the northern Greek regions of Thessaloniki and Rodopi, and Larissa in central Greece, is being raised to the highest level, 4, on Friday and localized lockdowns will be imposed to stem a surge in new coronavirus cases, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said on Thursday.
The regional units of Pella, Evros, Drama, Xanthi, Kilkis, Kavala, Pieria, Imathia and Halkidiki are also being elevated, going up to Level 3 of the risk assessment scale, Hardalias added, saying that details of the new restrictions will be unveiled on Friday, when his agency’s coronavirus alert map is updated to reflect the most recent transmission data.
The official said that there are currently 1,955 active coronavirus cases in Thessaloniki and 4,459 people who came into close contact with them and are in quarantine at home. Larissa has 343 active cases and 721 close contacts, while Rodopi has 217 and 488 respectively. In all three regions, the average age of the infected patients is between 30 and 33 years old.
The National Organization for Public Health (EODY) on Thursday reported 275 new cases in Thessaloniki, 51 in Larissa and 41 in Rodopi.
Attica continues to be in the eye of the storm, with 335 of Thursday’s total 1,211 new cases. The government is reportedly mulling fresh restrictions for the Greek capital as well.
