Greece Reinstates Work-From-Home Mandate, Curbs on Nightlife

(Bloomberg) -- Greece reintroduced measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic amid concern that rising cases will pile pressure on the nation’s health care system.

As much as 50% of all private and public-sector employees will have to work from home between Jan. 3 and Jan. 16, Health Minister Athanasios Plevris said Monday. The government also ordered restaurants, bars, cafes and night clubs to close at midnight.

The omicron variant now seems to be in Greece to a large extent “and especially in the region of Attica,” which encompasses the capital city of Athens, Plevris said. Authorities expect that the highly transmissible variant will become dominant over the following 15 days.

The new measures come as the country reported a record 9,285 new daily Covid-19 cases, with hospitals and intensive care units already operating at a high capacity. 

The government last week reimposed a mask mandate for all indoor and outdoor spaces and canceled outdoor holiday festivities. A highly protective mask, or the use of double mask, will now be mandatory for those working in restaurants, Plevris said.

The exact percentage of workers who have to work from home will be determined by each company or public service depending on their needs, he added.

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