MacroPolis

Greece marked a sombre new record on Sunday, August 23 with 283 new cases of coronavirus noted in 24 hours.

Greek authorities are said to have set a milestone this Friday to decide whether additional measures will be required to halt a surge in Covid-19 cases related to travel during the peak of the holiday season.

A steady rise in new Covid-19 cases has prompted the Greek government to intensify its warnings and tighten hygiene measures to bring infections back under control.

While reopening Greece to tourism was eagerly anticipated as a potential remedy for some of the economic impact of the pandemic, the realities of managing inflows of visitors safely are slowly becoming apparent as the number of coronavirus cases in the country rises.

The decision taken by drugs giant Novartis to pay 347 mln dollars to US authorities for corrupt practices in Greece, as well as South Korea, Vietnam and China, has added more fuel to the political battle between New Democracy and SYRIZA, which has been raging over the last few days as result of graft allegations.

The Greek government is said to be looking at tightening controls on movement, as recent instances of overcrowding have raised concerns that the existing lockdown measures are too easily flouted.

Greece marked its Independence Day on Wednesday, with the focus on battling the coronavirus, which has now claimed 20 lives in the country.

As the number of coronavirus cases in Greece continues to rise, questions are starting to emerge over the ability of the health system to cope with a surge in the numbers requiring hospital treatment.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a lockdown on Sunday night after a discernible rise in the number of coronavirus-related deaths and confirmed cases.

In his third address to the nation since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a drastic expansion of the economic support package, pledging a total of up to 10 billion euros to fight the spread of the disease in Greece and support the workers and businesses affected by containment measures.