Photo taken on Aug. 7, 2020 shows the general view of Poros island, south of Athens, Greece. A continuing surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in some parts of Greece has forced authorities to impose the first curfew during the tourism season on the Saronic Gulf island of Poros. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
ATHENS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A continuing surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in some parts of Greece has forced authorities to impose the first curfew during the tourism season on the Saronic Gulf island of Poros.
Wearing masks, many tourists rushed to the port of Poros on Friday morning, speeding up their departure earlier than planned after the strict restrictive measures took effect to prevent the further spread of the virus.
A total of 30 COVID-19 cases were diagnosed on the island, while more people were waiting for results, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported on Friday.
"The measures are essential," Mayor of Poros Giannis Dimitriadis told Xinhua. "People can go out. Our daily life can continue with more measures and respect for the rules," he added.
Greek authorities imposed a 10-day curfew, including the mandatory use of face masks on the entire island, both in indoor and outdoor areas.
Until Aug. 17, all stores must stay closed from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily, and gatherings of more than nine people in both public and private spaces are banned. Also, local festivals, open markets, and parties are suspended.
To Spyros Michail, owner of a cafe bar in Poros, the curfew represents another blow to businesses on the island during this year's harsh tourism season.
"Most of the people will go away. It's not good for the island. We are going to have a serious problem for the rest of the summer," Michail told Xinhua.
"This weekend, we had expected to have a 90-percent occupancy in hotels and rooms. But when people hear of the news of lockdown, they will stay away. But this is not a lockdown. We feel safer with the stricter compliance with the measures," president of the trade and professionals association of Poros, Dimitris Sixeris told Xinhua.
Though Greece reacted swiftly to the first wave of the pandemic, relaxation toward social distancing and mask-wearing has brought a new spike of COVID-19 cases across the country, local media reported.
As part of the government's efforts to slow down the spread of the virus, Greece's Civil Protection Ministry announced on Friday that all religious processions, as well as any type of bazaars, are suspended.
It also extended a ban on standing customers in all bars, clubs, bar-restaurants, and live music venues until the end of August.
On Friday, Greek health authorities reported 151 new confirmed COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 5,270 since Feb. 26 when the first case was registered.
Forty-six new infections were detected in the Attika region, where the island of Poros belongs to, and 38 in the Thessaloniki region in northern Greece. Seven of the new cases were confirmed during checks at the country's gateways.
This came one day after the National Organization of Public Health (EODY) confirmed 153 new cases, the biggest daily spike since the end of the lockdown on May 4.
No new deaths were reported, and the total number of fatal cases remains at 210. Currently, 14 patients were treated in intensive care units, while 129 have been discharged from ICUs. Enditem
