Greece faces renewed lockdown as pressure on hospitals rises

Greece is set to extend its lockdown measures beyond the end of November given the spread of Covid-19 and the pressure on hospitals, the country's health minister warned Monday.

"Based on the epidemic figures, the pressure on the national health system and the spread of the disease, it is self-evident that the (lockdown) measures can't be lifted at the end of the month," Vassilis Kikilias told private Mega TV.

"The number of (new) infections must fall and the health system must gain some respite ... if we are to gradually regain a partial normality," he added.

The country of about 11 million people now has more than 92,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,714 deaths — more than 1,000 of which were over the past month — and intensive care unit beds are rapidly filling up. The second nationwide lockdown, including school closures, was imposed earlier this month...