Yannis

Ahead of opening day on Monday, open-air movie theaters in Athens are putting the finishing touches in their venues, tidying up, disinfecting, pruning the plants and arranging the seating so there's a distance of at least 1.5 meters between members of the audience.

Members of the union representing Greek restaurant, cafe and bar owners, known by its acronym POESE, on Wednesday set up hundreds of empty chairs in central squares in Athens and other cities to underline the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic on their businesses.

The mayor of Aegina island claimed in comments on Saturday that former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, head of the Mera25 party, refused to stop for a police inspection on the island where he has a summer home.

According to the mayor, Yiannis Zorbas, police had been conducting routine inspections last Thursday when they signaled to Varoufakis to pull over.

The family of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo donated 20,000 surgical masks which will be equally divided between the municipality of Zografou in central Athens and the city's Organization of Culture, Sports and Youth (OPANDA) to help employees protect themselves against the new coronavirus.

Some hotels could gradually start opening in June, though with health protocols that remain to be determined, the head of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) estimated on Tuesday.

An online platform called "Greece from Home" will be launched by the Ministry of Tourism, the Greek Tourism Organization and Marketing Greece, with the support of Google, aimed at reinforcing the country's positive image during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tourism bookings for the period up to the end of May are certain to see a slump, the president of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Yiannis Retsos, stresses in an interview with Kathimerini.

Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo called on his fans to protect themselves against the new coronavirus on Thursday, a day after the NBA said it was suspending its season following news that a few players had been infected.

"Basketball becomes secondary...Take care of yourselves and your family. Wash your hands often," he said in a Tweet on his official account.

The exhibition "This Is What We Fought For: Antiquities and the Greek Revolution," currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum (NAM) in Athens, was inspired by an anecdote about Greek General Yiannis Makriyiannis paying a group of soldiers not to sell two splendid ancient statues to European buyers.

In a self-critical mood, three senior members of leftist SYRIZA have authored a review of the party's four-and-a-half years in power which will be presented for approval to its Central Committee this weekend.