Infection

Answering the question of the journalists in Vranje about the possible introduction of curfew, Tiodorovi said that the medical part of the Crisis Staff proposed measures that he believes would stop the spread of the infection the fastest.

The number of coronavirus infections worldwide has decreased by 11% during the period of February 15-21, while the number of fatalities has decreased by 20% compared to the previous week. A decrease in incidence has been occurring for six weeks in a row, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) weekly epidemiological update published in Geneva on Wednesday.

The dispersion rate of the novel coronavirus remains high in Greece, especially in the region of Attica, where active infections total 5,100, a fact that has heightened the concerns of scientists, pediatric infectious diseases doctor Vana Papaevangelou said on Friday.

The director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev said today that if the measures are not observed - the gathering of people in malls and mocking wearing of masks continues,  a new wave at the end  of February could be expected.

The European Union tightened its rules for visitors from outside the bloc on Monday, specifying that they would only be allowed in freely from countries with very few coronavirus cases and almost none of the more transmissible variants.

EU ambassadors agreed the new measure for travel from non-EU countries, including Britain, at a meeting in Brussels, an EU diplomat told Reuters.

One of the experts sitting on the government's committee of health advisers on Tuesday said that a third, tough lockdown similar to March and November cannot be ruled out, but added that the likelihood remains somewhat distant given the current epidemiological picture.

Greek health authorities are reportedly concerned about the possible spread of a new variant of the novel coronavirus that is thought to be a lot more contagious than the previous one and is already seen as responsible for a spike in cases in the UK and other parts of the world.

 A new, highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus first discovered in Britain could become the dominant variant in the United States by March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Friday.

The second stage of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign starts on Friday for the population most at risk from COVID-19 and the employees who carry out activities in key, essential areas. President Klaus Iohannis is to be vaccinated publicly later today.

Health experts are making no secret that they are increasingly concerned by the future course of the coronavirus pandemic in the aftermath of the holiday season, particularly in the densely populated area of Attica, which has seen an increase in the number of cases by at least 20% since Christmas.