Larissa

An earthquake was registered in central Greece today around 12 p.m. The epicenter of the quake was near the town of Larissa.

The Institute of Geophysics told BNR that the epicenter was at a depth of 10 km. The tremor was felt in many places in Bulgaria, including Kardzhali, Plovdiv and in Sofia highrise buildings.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit central Greece on March 3, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting residents in the city of Larissa to rush into the streets according to local media.

The Institute of Geodynamics in Athens said the quake, which could be felt across central and northern Greece, had measured at a magnitude of 6.0.

Health authorities were conducting mass tests in three municipalities of Thessaly, central Greece, where, despite a gradual easing of the viral load, research by the University of Thessaly showed that infections remain high.

Greece's Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned the vandalism of the Holocaust Monument and the wall of the local Synagogue in the city of Larissa on Thursday, describing it as "heinous."

"This abhorrent act offends the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and is not in line with Greek culture and the values of Greek society," the ministry said in a statement.

Clashes erupted outside a Roma settlement in Nea Smyrni, Larissa, central Greece, on Friday, when residents set fires to prevent the transfer of 35 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus to a facility where they will be quarantined for 14 days.

As temperatures are expected to hit and even exceed 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country this weekend, a National Observatory of Athens (NOA) scientist said Greece may be in for the hottest May heatwave in at least 50 years.

Greek health and civil protection authorities have launched an operation for widespread testing and contact tracing in an area in central Greece where an outbreak of coronavirus infections have been detected.

A 67-year-old patient infected with the novel coronavirus died in the central Greek city of Larissa on Thursday night, bringing the nationwide Covid-19 toll to 149, according to reports.

The man reportedly suffered from an underlying illness that may have contributed to his death.

Eleven Roma settlements in the area of Thessaly will be subjected to rigorous inspections starting later this week to locate and contain possible coronavirus outbreaks, a meeting of health and local officials concluded on Tuesday.

Four more people died from coronavirus disease 2019 in the last 24 hours in Greece, with the total number of victims standing at 90, Health Ministry spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras said on Friday.

Health authorities confirmed an additional 56 new cases of Covid-19 which bring the total to 2,011, of which 57 percent are male.