The Greek government introduced on Thursday a mask-wearing mandate in all outdoor spaces and banned public gatherings during Christmas and New Year holidays to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
"We are constantly monitoring the cases to see if there is a spread of Omicron behind Delta variant," Health Minister Thanos Plevris told reporters, adding that more restrictions could be expected in early 2022. However, the minister excluded the possibility of a national lockdown.
The number of new infections has slightly declined over the past weeks after a record number of cases in early November, however, it remains above figures seen over the last two years.
