ATHENS – The early lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 is working well enough for government officials to start talking about when to start lifting restrictions keeping most businesses closed.
Talking to reporters, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said that a discussion has already begun on the gradual lifting of the lockdown but no date has been set, after it was reported it could begin as soon as May 4.
It would be done on a staggered basis, with stores reopening in the reverse order of which they were closed, some shuttered during a voluntary quarantine even before the general lockdown began on March 23.
Hardalias thanked Greeks for “the very high level of collective responsibility” they showed over the Easter holidays, noting that police recorded what he said were relatively few violations of stay at home restrictions.
The Hellenic Police (ELAS) issued 106 fines of 300 euros ($324.69) each on Easter Sunday for violators trying to reach their villages or islands, which was forbidden during that period except for permanent residents.
According to figures quoted by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) 54, 54 were recorded in the region of Attica, 19 in Thessaloniki and 13 on Crete, with single-digit violations in other parts of the country.
The 300-euro penalty is double that which had been imposed during the lockdown and despite the cost, 835 people were nabbed trying to move around during the Easter period without a permissible reason and 515 lost their car license plates for 60 days.
An additional 279 fines of 150 euros ($162.65) were issued on Easter Sunday for unauthorized movement within citizens’ residential districts. Attica, Thessaloniki, and Crete had the most violations, with 115, 37 and 27 respectively.
Since the beginning of the measure on March 23, authorities have issued a total of 46,420 fines for lockdown violations, the report also said.
Hardalias said that restrictions on movement would remain in place until at least April 27, stressing that the danger is not yet over. He added that 10 flights landed in Athens over the previous four days, with three passengers testing positive for COVID-19.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
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