Covid-19: Greek Health Experts Urge Vigilance After Stricter Measures Imposed in Attica

Athens, Greece

Greek health experts are calling on strict adherence to hygiene and mask-wearing measures, warning that if Covid-19 cases in the Attica region are not reigned in Greece could face a further spike in incidents.

The Greek Civil Protection ministry announced on Tuesday, additional restrictions for the greater Athens area after the latest epidemiological data revealed that Attica accounted for over half of all coronavirus cases in Greece.

Speaking on SKAI television, Greek infectious diseases expert Marios Lazanas warned that if measures are not rigorously implemented the situation could get worse.

“There has been a progressive increase in cases that started in August and especially in Attica, which led to our proposing new measures,” said Lazanas, referring to a rise in the number of infected younger people requiring ICU care.

Photo Source: Region of Attica

Lazanas added that the epidemiological burden in Attica is constantly growing. “We are close to hitting ‘red’,” he said, confirming that harsher measures or even local lockdowns in addition to mandatory mask-wearing at all times may be required if the number of cases in Attica remains high.

He added that social gatherings should be limited and that high risk individuals should stay home.

Greek health officials are warning that Covid-19 cases may increase further taking into consideration the change of weather and Covid’s transmission rate and trends as well as the high-risk virus period in fall.

Meanwhile referring to the gravity of the situation, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Europe is “not out of the woods”.

He said that the average number of daily cases across the continent is now higher than during the first peak of the pandemic.

At the same time, speaking to the Foreign Affairs Committee in London, David Nabarro, WHO special envoy on Covid-19, said the pandemic was evolving into something “much worse than any science fiction”.

“It’s a terrible situation, a health issue has got so out of control it’s knocking the world into, not just a recession, but a huge economic contraction which would probably double the number of poor people, double the number of malnourished, lead to hundreds of millions of small businesses going bankrupt,” he said.