Government braces for strict enforcement of ban on Easter exodus from cities to provinces

Health Ministry’s spokesman and Infectious Diseases Professor Sotiris Tsiodras today announced six deaths and 20 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Greece in the last 24 hours.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Greece is 1,755. Of these, 361 involve individuals who have  abroad and 655 relate to infectees in domestic
Deaths total 79 since the start of the outbreak. Of those, 23 were women, while a large percentage had underlying health issues and their average age was 70 or over. years of age.

Ninety patients are being treated in Intensive Care Units and more than half of these suffer from underlying health issues.

Nine people have so far been discharged from ICUs and 269 patients have been discharged from hospitals since the start of the outbreak in Greece.

So far 18,844 diagnostic lab tests for Covid-19 have been carried out nationwide.

Partial lockdown extended

The government’s restrictive measures for the coronavirus pandemic will be extended to 27 April, Civil Protection Underminister Nikos Hardalias said.

He said  the measures appear to have substantially reduced the rate of spread and underlined that it is still too early to relax them and in no way should good news lead to complacency.

Hardalias reiterated that April is «a difficult and critical month» and current positive developments «could be reversed at any moment».

The government is painfully aware of the prospect of mass violations of social distancing guidelenes in the week leading up to Greek Orthodox Easter (April 19).

Hardalias also stressed that  that restrictions have been imposed on Mykonos (where one case was confirmed) and Santorini islands.

A number of doctors have expressed concern that treatment of many serious and chronic diseases

Deputy Health Minister Vassilis Kontozamanis said that state hospitals have a total of 477 ICU beds of which 340 are currently in use.

He noted that about 300 regional state health centers are operating currently in Greece outside of major cities.