By Reuters Staff
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece reported a jump in daily COVID-19 infections on Tuesday after many weeks of declining numbers that prompted authorities to lift most of the country’s coronavirus restrictions.
Public health authorities reported 1,797 new daily cases on Tuesday, more than twice the level of 801 cases reported on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 429,144. COVID-related deaths have reached 12,754.
Greece, heavily dependent on tourism, has lifted most restrictions for travel and entertainment and scrapped mask wearing rules in outdoor spaces as cases fell.
But health experts have voiced concern over the coronavirus and its more contagious Delta variant after infections started rising again in recent days. Α health official said on Tuesday that many of the new positive test cases are youngsters, who are much less likely to fall seriously ill.
About 38% of Greece’s eligible population is fully vaccinated so far and the government has offered incentives to encourage more people to get the shot as it wants to bring that rate up to at least 70% by autumn.
A lockdown since November has cost many billions of euros to the Greek economy which is emerging from a decade-long crisis. The government has said that it would not close the economy again because of the pandemic if its was just to protect an unvaccinated minority.
