Lockdown becomes stricter for a week

The Greek government announced on Saturday a one-week closure of all retail businesses that were allowed to open during the holidays, as well as the closure of all houses of worship, to prepare for the reopening of schools.

The decision was taken by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government for "precautionary reasons," to avert a spike in the viral load so that schools of all levels can reopen on January 11, according to government spokesman Stelios Petsas, who made the announcement.

Despite a recent decline in new infections, the health system is still under pressure from the number of patients being treated.

The restrictions mean that the "click-and-collect" model -hereby customers physically pick up merchandise they have bought online or by phone at store entrances -ill be suspended, while hairdressers, nail salons and bookshops will close....