Greek health authorities announced 1,914 new cases of the coronavirus, including a record 37 deaths, with the latest victims being a 80 year old woman in Thessaloniki and a 49 year old woman in Piraeus. The death toll in now 786 in Greece.
Authorities said Sunday that of the country’s 1,063 intensive care units, 734 are occupied, 259 with coronavirus patients.
As Greece seeks to preempt a full-blown emergency by going into a second lockdown, the next 10 days are seen as a critical litmus test of the country’s National Health System (ESY).
According to government estimates, the restrictions that went into effect on Saturday will indeed lead to a decline in coronavirus transmission, which shot up drastically in the last week. However, the lifting of the lockdown, even in the good scenario, will not be total on the December 1 deadline.
Elementary, kindergarten and nurseries are operating normally, while highschools, after school tutoring and higher education institutions continue their courses via teleconferences. However, problems in internet services of the Ministry of Education have been observed today (webex platform).
Authorities have set a maximum 65 percent capacity on public transport over the three-week lockdown in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while taxis are only allowed to carry one passenger.
Exceeding the single passenger limit is allowed only if the vehicle is carrying underage children, whose stay at home is impossible under adult supervision, or a person who needs help from a caretaker.
Meanwhile, private motorists are not required to wear a face mask when traveling with a member of their household.
Violations carry a 150 euro fine.
Police in Athens broke up a party that was being held in blatant violation of the measures designed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the early hours of Monday.
About 30 people were at the party that was held in a small hotel on Syngrou Avenue in Neos Kosmos.
Police intervened to bring the illegal festivities to an end at around 2.30 a.m. on Monday.
Officers issued 30 fines for violation of coronavirus restrictions.
Moody’s Investors Service upgraded its credit rating for Greece with a steady outlook (from B1 to Ba3).
The ratings agency stated the following reasons for its decision:
– Ongoing reforms that support the sustainable improvement of institutions and have already presented tangible progress in areas such as tax administration, tax compliance and the fight against corruption.
– The country’s growth prospects in the coming years are positive despite negative short-term effects due to the pandemic, especially in the tourism sector. According to Moody’s, the Greek economy will benefit from continuous efforts to improve the investment environment and the inflow of substantial funds from EU’s Recovery Fund.
– Favorable growth prospects, combined with a return to prudent fiscal policies, will lead to a gradual reversal of the public debt. Moody’s notes that Greece has a favorable debt structure.
Moody’s adds that the stable outlook reflects its view that it will take some time for the reforms to be fully operational. It also stressed that the banking sector still needs to improve the quality of its assets.
President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Greek foreign ministry congratulated Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris on winning the US elections with a series of tweets after the result was called on Saturday evening.
“Congratulations to @JoeBiden, new President-Elect of the USA and @KamalaHarris, first female Vice-President. Looking forward to extending our cooperation and friendship under your presidency. Welcoming the US again to the #ParisAgreement on climate change is the first step!” President Sakellaropoulou said in an official presidency tweet.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis, in a message with the Greek and United States flags, described Biden as a “true friend of Greece”:
“Congratulations to US President-Elect @JoeBiden. Joe Biden has been a true friend of Greece and I’m certain that under his presidency the relationship between our countries will grow even stronger.”
And the weather forecast…
Partly sunny in Athens today with the temperature expected to reach a maximum of 21 degrees Celsius.
