News in brief

The government is planning cash injections for both the state coffers and enterprises, as well as a reduction in the tax burden of companies.
Besides the option of corporations that have been forced to close or are suffering as a result of the novel coronavirus being able to postpone their tax and social security payments, the government will offer them a 25 percent discount on their dues to tax authorities (except for value-added tax) and their current contributions if they choose not to put off payments and implement them in time.
This is considered a strong incentive for enterprises, as well as their employees, to pay their dues in time, as the Finance Ministry is concerned after seeing the course of March revenues that will by and large dictate the policy of the next few months.
Sources say that next week or in the first 10 days of April at the latest, the ministry will announce a new batch of economic sectors that according to the State General Accounting Office have been hurt by the coronavirus crisis and stand to receive state support.
Meanwhile, a Development Ministry bill provides for the immediate provision of liquidity to companies hurt by the coronavirus in loans adding up to over 3 billion euros.

They will be issued to corporations by the country’s banks to boost their cash flows, using state collateral via the Development Bank that is being activated with the utilization of funds of 1 billion euros in European Union subsidies.
An extraordinary EU Summit will take place at 5pm to discuss consequences of the coronavirus via teleconference.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will join the meeting. He will also sign with other European leaders a letter to be sent to European Council President Charles Michel calling for extraordinary measures to reduce the coronavirus spread and to mitigate the negative effects on European economies.

Supermarkets will operate as of today as follows: Weekdays from 7am to 9pm and Saturdays from 7am to 8pm.

The community of Echinos, in the Miki area of Xanthi, northern Greece, went on lockdown from 18.00 on Wednesday to April 7, Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias said during a daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday.

Global infections rose to more than 470,000 and deaths passed 21,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Mainland China and Hong Kong both reported an increase in new coronavirus cases involving travellers arriving from abroad. Health officials in China said it had 67 new cases but none of them were locally transmitted.

Spain awoke to the prospect of more lockdown on Thursday after parliament approved an extension to its state of emergency in the early hours of the morning following a mammoth session of debate.

The Russian government has ordered the civil aviation authority to suspend all regular and charter flights to and from Russia from March 27, the government said on its website.

Russian airlines will still be allowed to fly to other countries to bring Russian citizens back or if they are authorised by special government decisions.
Russia has reported 658 Covid-19 cases and three deaths.

And the weather forecast…

Rainy in Attica today with the temperature reaching a maximum of 14 degrees Celsius.