PM says vaccines key to reopening bars, nightclubs

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that bars and clubs will only reopen when vaccines for Covid-19 have been made available, while restaurants and retail stores will open gradually, with many restrictions.

"We cannot have people crowding in bars until we have the vaccines," he told the 31st Greek Economic Summit on Wednesday. "Every lockdown has consequences on the economy, but our priority has been to save lives."

Meanwhile on Wednesday, health authorities announced 2,186 new infections, which raised the overall number to 109,655.

Of these new cases, 28 were reported at the country's entry points.

The number of intubated patients rose to 613 (average age 65), from 596 on Tuesday, while 611 have left ICUs.

The data also showed 89 more patients died from Covid-19, raising the total number of fatalities to 2,606.