News in brief
Αuthorities are concerned about a trend involving large groups of young people gathering in squares with alcohol from bars and cafes offering takeaway services. The government is now considering imposing a lockdown during late hours in several areas.
Amid fears that the gatherings could prompt a spike in Covid-19 infections, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said on Wednesday that police will close Agia Paraskevi’s Agiou Ioannou Square daily from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m.
The decision came after around 400 young people gathered in the square on Monday and Tuesday night, ignoring a law against gatherings of more than 10 people.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni will participate in Thursday’s press briefing by government spokesperson Stelios Petsas, who will present and give details regarding the support measures in the field of culture.
According to government sources, «more categories of workers will be added to the measures already announced as well as short-term and medium-term support for the culture sector.»
Art and civilization worker unions have called a protest outside the Greek parliament building at noon.
The Ministry of Transport is considering allowing two passengers per taxi soon, as there are notable problems with the imposed restriction of one passenger per taxi currently in effect.
A rise in petrol gas has been noted this week, as restrictive measures were lifted. Gas stations reported a 15% rise in turnover in the past three days.
The Greek economy is expected to be hit severely by the COVID-19 pandemic and the countermeasures taken to limit its spread in 2020, the European Commission said in its Spring Economic Forecast report released on Wednesday.
The EU’s executive agency said it expected the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to contract by 9.7 pct this year and to grow by 7.9 pct in 2021. The Commission said that fiscal measures taken by the government to protect the economy are expected to limit the impact of the crisis on consumption spending and to pave the way for a faster recovery in 2021.
The Health Ministry’s coronavirus spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras on Wednesday evening announced 21 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Greece in the last 24 hours and one new death.
There are 3.75 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The director general of the World Health Organization warns of the risks of returning to lockdown if countries emerging from pandemic restrictions do not manage transitions “extremely carefully and in a phased approach”.
And the weather forecast…
Cloudy and rainy in Attica today with the temperature expected to reach a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius.
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