Covid-19: Greece Goes into Lockdown
The Hellenic Parliament, Syntagma Square. Photo © GTP
Greece will impose a countrywide lockdown from Monday, March 23, to combat the coronavirus, barring people from moving for “unnecessary reasons”, except mainly to go to and from work and for emergencies.
Addressing the public in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that of 6am Monday, all “unnecessary movements” in the country will be restricted.
“This is perhaps the last measure our state can take,” the PM said.
The lockdown means that all citizens and residents in Greece must stay indoors. Violators will be fined 150 euros.
Excluded from the rule will be those going to and from work, going to buy groceries or medicine, going to the doctor or to help a person in need, and individuals walking their pet. Outdoor exercising can be done individually or strictly in pairs.
Those who will be moving around must have identification on them in the form of an ID or a passport. They must also posses a special document on the reason of movement that can be obtained online (information will be announced soon).
Also excluded from the restriction are members of the government and parliament, government officials and all officials in the sectors of health, civil protection, security bodies and armed forces.
Greece’s lockdown measure comes after a large portion of the public defied the government’s quarantine measures and often crowded open spaces and also traveled en masse out of Athens by car and ferry.
ΠΗΓΗ GTP
