Skai

One of the experts sitting on the government's committee of health advisers on Tuesday said that a third, tough lockdown similar to March and November cannot be ruled out, but added that the likelihood remains somewhat distant given the current epidemiological picture.

The government is considering allowing people to travel between regional units so they can visit ski resorts, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Monday.

The issue will be discussed at the meeting of the expert committee advising the government on the pandemic, he told broadcaster Skai.

Manolis Dermitzakis, professor of genetics at the University of Geneva, said on Thursday he was "shocked" by the crowding he saw in the streets and the images of some faithful receiving Communion from the same spoon on Wednesday, when the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will be presiding over the swearing-in of the country's new cabinet members on Tuesday. Due to coronavirus concerns, the newly appointed ministers and deputies will be sworn in, in separate groups, starting at 11 a.m.

The government will decide in January whether to partially reopen the retail sector following consultations with the expert committee advising on the coronavirus, according to ministers on Tuesday.

Speaking to Skai radio station, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the talks with the experts will be held "next week."

Mobile teams will be dispatched to the homes of citizens such as the disabled, who will be unable to reach centers providing vaccinations for the coronavirus, according to Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

Speaking to Skai, he reiterated that the vaccine will be safe, controlled by international drug organizations, free and not mandatory.

The number of intubated patients with Covid-19 will have to drop to double digits before authorities can decide to reopen the market, Athanasios Exadaktylos, president of the Panhellenic Medical Association and a member of the Health Ministry's committee of experts, said on Thursday.

Lockdown measures that went into force on November 7 appear to be bearing fruit as the number of new coronavirus infections drops, but it is unlikely they will be eased next week, Alkiviadis Vatopoulos, a professor of microbiology and one of the experts on the government's advisory committee, said on Tuesday.

All emergency tax reductions and the permanent tax breaks ratified before the onset of the pandemic will apply in 2021, with the cheap state loans program also running into next year, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras assured on Saturday.

Authorities in the seaside resort of Loutraki are investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths of four people who were found dead in a cave in the area of Ano Karbounari on Saturday.