Greece announced a lockdown on Sunday, restricting movement from Monday morning with only a few exceptions, to combat the spread of coronavirus.
“WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE COMMON GOOD”
“It is maybe the last step, one that must be taken promptly and not in vain,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address. “We have to protect the common good, our health.”
Citing Italy, which reported almost 800 new deaths on Saturday, Mitsotakis said it was his duty to prevent such a tragedy hitting Greece. “We must not get to the point where we will have to choose who lives and who dies,” he said.
Only those going to or returning from work, shopping for food or medicines or visiting a doctor will be allowed onto the streets from Monday.
Starting on March 10, Greece acted fast to gradually close schools, gyms, cinemas, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, retail shops, shopping malls, museums and archaeological sites including the Acropolis, ahead of other governments in Europe.
Public gatherings were restricted to 10 people and authorities subsequently ordered hotels across Greece to close until April 30, stepping up measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease.