Wearing a mask is suspended in Greece in enclosed spaces from Wednesday June 1 and at least for three months, with summer traditionally being the period of peak revenue from the tourism industry, on which the country depends economically.
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With the exception of urban transport – metro, tram, bus -, retirement homes and hospitals, wearing a mask to protect yourself from Covid-19 is no longer compulsory in shops, banks or public services. In schools, students must only wear masks during end-of-year exams. For boats, no specific decision has been made so far but the authorities recommend wearing a mask when there are too many people.
A suspension of the measures reviewed in September
In mid-May, the Minister of Health, Thanos Plevris, announced the suspension of measures to stem the coronavirus pandemic with a view to the opening of the tourist season but above all because “epidemiological data and expert recommendations“. The minister had however indicated that all the measures to stem the pandemic should be re-examined on September 1, after the summer season.
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In recent weeks, the number of deaths and cases of infection by variants of Covid-19 in Greece has gradually decreased: on Tuesday the country had registered 5080 infections while the total number of people infected since the onset of the pandemic in February 2020, amounted to 3,453,229. With 10.7 inhabitants, Greece has so far deplored around 29,800 deaths. More than a dozen deaths are still recorded daily. To stem the pandemic, the conservative Greek government had imposed strict measures for two years ranging from confinement to almost compulsory vaccination of the population to avoid the collapse of traditionally weak hospital services.
The Greek economy depends on tourism, which accounts for almost a quarter of its GDP. As early as February, Athens had already started to lighten the system put in place to stem the pandemic, by suspending the compulsory screening test for travelers arriving in Greece and in possession of a European vaccination certificate.
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