National Health Organization

A medical staff member of the National Health Organization (EODY) conducts a Covid-19 rapid test on a bicycle rider at a drive-through testing site at the Athens southern coastal suburb of Paleo Faliro, Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

Teams from the National Health Organization (EODY) will remain in the regional unit of Xanthi, in northeastern Greece, to conduct more tests for the coronavirus in an ongoing effort to halt its spread in the area, Health Ministry adviser and infectious disease professor Sotiris Tsiodras said on Friday, following a visit to the region.

Amid concern about an increase in reported infections of Covid-19, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday convened a meeting of some of his ministers to discuss how authorities can enforce the health and safety regulations that have accompanied the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions more effectively. 

Clashes erupted outside a Roma settlement in Nea Smyrni, Larissa, central Greece, on Friday, when residents set fires to prevent the transfer of 35 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus to a facility where they will be quarantined for 14 days.

Facilities around the country are being meticulously cleaned and disinfected as final-year pupils return to school on Monday for the first time since the lockdown was imposed in March. The National Health Organization (EODY) has issued strict guidelines for the cleaning process.

Justice Minister Konstantinos Tsiaras expressed satisfaction over the reopening of Athens courts on Tuesday and the "successful" resumption of judicial proceedings.

The coronavirus pandemic in Greece is likely to wane over the course of May, though sporadic cases are likely to be recorded over the summer, an Athens University expert has told Kathimerini based on a comparative analysis of data from Greece and other countries. 

Greek Health Ministry representative Sotiris Tsiodras and National Health Organization (EODY) president Panagiotis Arkoumaneas on Monday visited a retirement home in Nea Makri, east of Athens, which was quarantined the night before after several residents tested positive for the coronavirus. 

A retirement home in Nea Makri, east of Athens, was put under quarantine late on Sunday after residents tested positive for the coronavirus. 

In comments to Skai television on Monday, Deputy Health Minister Vassilis Kotzamanis said that at least 12 people at the home had tested positive for Covid-19. 

The authorities are considering imposing a lockdown on a migrant reception center in Ritsona, north of Athens, after a female resident of the camp tested positive for the new coronavirus on Tuesday, Kathimerini understands.