The gradual lifting of restrictions from December 1 not a realistic goal

He clarified that "we never talked about a specific timetable, but we were talking about phases of a gradual return to a form of normalcy in December. And that is because, unfortunately, the first week of the lockdown was rather lax. Especially in northern Greece, where we have found that the cases persist at such high levels, despite the fact that many areas were in the 'red' for several weeks, before the implementation of the universal lockdown."

He noted that "what we see now ... is that there is a better situation, possibly, in Thessaloniki, which however is not progressing so fast," and added: "We will continue to have pressure next week. We will see in the coming week what the plan should be - I repeat - for the gradual lifting of these measures. But at this stage we must all fight to contain the coronavirus."

Regarding the way in which the restrictions will be lifted, Petsas noted that "we start from the field that has a lower epidemiological burden, such as schools. Afterwards retail and then stores of hygienic interest, such as restaurants."

He pointed out, however, that "there is no timetable at the moment, because we are focusing on the battle."