Kalymnos Goes into Hard Covid-19 Lockdown

Photo source: General Secretariat for Civil Protection

Extra lockdown measures will be imposed on the Greek island of Kalymnos of the Region of the South Aegean for ten days to contain the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), the General Secretariat for Civil Protection said on Wednesday.

The decision was taken due to the high coronavirus infection rates that continue to appear on the island.

The stricter lockdown measures will take effect from Thursday, December 31 and last until 6am on Saturday, January 9, 2021.

The measures imposed on Kalymnos include a curfew that bans non-essential movement from 6pm until 5am. (Movement beyond the curfew will be allowed only for specific reasons and by sending an SMS to the five-digit mobile phone service 13033.)

Movement off the island is banned, except for travel for health reasons.

All retail stores will remain closed and all religious services will be suspended.

Kalymnos among 10 Greek areas of concern

Photo source: Greek Health Ministry

The hard lockdown on Kalymnos follows the concern expressed earlier on Wednesday by Greek Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias during Covid-19 media briefing.

The island was included in the 10 Greek areas that are raising concern among health experts due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

According to Kikilias, additional new infections have also been reported in Kozani, Kilkis, West Attica, Evros, Thassos, Xanthi, Rodopi, Lesvos and Florina.

The minister called on citizens to be especially careful when attending gatherings for the New Year, as statistics show that cases in communities rise especially after holidays and the virus continues to spread. (It is noted that rules apply for the New Year holiday in Greece.)

“In 15 days we will see if we had a spread during Christmas,” Kikilias stressed.

Other areas in Greece that are in a stricter lockdown include municipalities in West Attica and areas in northern Greece.

Greek health authorities on Wednesday announced 942 new coronavirus cases and 58 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of cases in the country has reached 137,918. The Covid-19 death toll in Greece is 4,788.