Greece Scraps Covid-19 Mask Rule for Outdoors, Gets Ready to Lift Curfew

Greek authorities on Wednesday announced that the requirement to wear a face mask outdoors in public will be scrapped from tomorrow and that the late night curfew will end on Monday.

Speaking during a Covid-19 media briefing, Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias said the outside face mask rule will be lifted on Thursday, June 24. He did add that it will be mandatory in cases of overcrowding.

However, wearing face masks will continue to be mandatory in all indoor spaces.

Curfew ends on Monday

Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias

With regard to the late night curfew (01:30-05:00), Hardalias said it will end on Monday, June 28, from 5am.

“The indicators show that the overall epidemiological picture of the country is still improving, while vaccination is progressing. This allows for us to lift additional restrictive measures,” the deputy minister said.

Moreover, Hardalias announced that from Monday, June 28, the following will apply:

– Fully vaccinated employees will be exempt from mandatory self-testing for Covid-19 to go to work, considering that 15 days have passed since the final dose. The same will be in force for people exercising in gyms.

– Tables at restaurants, cafes and bars may seat up to 10 people (from 6).

– Outdoor social events (such as weddings) will be able to host up to 300 people.

– At organized beaches, 120 people are allowed per 1,000 square meters of beach area.

The deputy minister also said that vaccinated and unvaccinated civil servants that belong to high-risk groups can return to work in person, but must be placed in positions that does not require contact with the public.

Four areas cause concern

During the briefing, Hardalias said that four areas in Greece were causing a slight concern despite the improvement of the epidemiological picture throughout the country.

The deputy minister called for the residents of Paros (yellow on the Covid-19 risk-assessment map), Kos (orange), Rhodes (yellow) and Ikaria (green), to be careful and observe all health and safety measures so the risk levels of the four areas do not change.

Greek health authorities on Wednesday announced 520 new coronavirus cases and 14 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of cases in the country has reached 419,455 with the death toll now at 12,595.