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Greece to Give Citizens Two Free Self-Tests for the Holidays

Greece to Give Citizens Two Free Self-Tests for the Holidays

The Greek government will distribute free self-tests to all citizens during the holiday season as it battles the spread of Covid-19.

“At this time, our weapons are tests,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, in comments before a Tuesday cabinet meeting. “Everyone, vaccinated or not, must self-test.”  

The free-test program is designed to allow Greeks to get through the season safely, Mitsotakis said, without bringing the economy and society to a halt but also without risking that the country later pays the price for its holiday festivities.  

While Greece has only 26 confirmed cases of the omicron variant in a country of 11 million people, health experts say it’s only a matter of time before case loads jump as they have elsewhere in Europe.

Athens also plans to review remote working policies and opening hours for restaurants, cafes and bars in the first weeks of 2022. The government will make decisions on any changes based on the pandemic trend, Mitsotakis said. The premier ruled out any school closures.

Greece has seen a gradual decline in the number of new daily cases of non-omicron variants in recent weeks, but hospitalizations -- mainly of non-vaccinated patients -- and fatalities remain at high levels.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.