Jump directly to the content
GYR-NO

Greece is on the brink of lockdown again as daily Covid cases hit new high

GREECE is just "one step from lockdown" according to an infections expert, and could be removed from the UK government's quarantine list this week.

Mainland Greece and a number of islands including Rhodes, Corfu and Kos managed to avoid the quarantine rules enforced earlier this month, which saw Crete, Mykonos and Zante placed onto the list.

Greece's cases are rising again, not just on the islands already on the UK quarantine list
3
Greece's cases are rising again, not just on the islands already on the UK quarantine list

The country is currently recording a seven-day rate of 20.5 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people - this is up from 17.7 a week ago.

Greece reported 346 new cases of COVID-19 in one day - the highest daily spike since February.

A rate of 20, when using data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is the threshold above which officials consider triggering quarantine conditions.

Professor Nikos Sipsas, an expert in infectious diseases, told local media: "We are just one step before a lockdown…We need to act preemptively and preventatively."

Rules are already in place across Greece, which differ depending on the region - some bars and restaurants have to follow a curfew between midnight and 7am, while others enforce face masks in public

Iceland and Denmark are also at risk of having quarantine measures introduced, with case rates of 68.6 and 63.2 respectively, while other countries at or near the threshold include Sweden (20) and Italy (18.1).

Greece is the latest country to go into the red zone
3
Greece is the latest country to go into the red zone
The rest of Greece may be put onto the quarantine list as they are on the brink of another lockdown.
3
The rest of Greece may be put onto the quarantine list as they are on the brink of another lockdown.Credit: Alamy

Cyprus, one of the countries in the EU which has kept coronavirus cases extremely low, has seen its rate tick upwards to 8.9, compared with 3.3 a week ago,

Changes to the Government's list of countries from which arrivals in England do not need to self-isolate for 14 days are usually announced on Thursday at 5pm and implemented the following Saturday at 4am.

The travel industry has been badly hit by quarantine restrictions and has called on the Government to allow coronavirus testing at airports to reduce self-isolation periods for those who get a negative result.

British Airways boss Alex Cruz warned the airline won't survive the pandemic unless the government introduces Covid-testing at airports instead of controversial quarantines rules.

He explained that the airline is "fighting for survival" which has seen air travel plummet as travel restrictions and closed borders damage the industry.

The airport chief execs warned Boris Johnson that they have already lost £4billion and it could be another four years before travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, The Telegraph reported.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May has begged Boris Johnson for rapid-fire airport testing to replace the 14 day quarantine for passengers.

Mrs May slammed the Government for failing to bring in airport testing, saying the UK is "lagging behind" the rest of the world.

Former PM Tony Blair has also waded in on the row - warning a failure to screen passengers would cripple international trade.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces new coronavirus quarantine policy for islands
Topics