Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday and asked for help in securing a short extension of the country's bailout to allow time for a referendum on its terms, a government official said.

Previous requests for such an extension were refused.

Greeks struggled Monday to adjust to to shuttered banks, closed cash machines and a climate of rumors and conspiracy theories on Monday as a breakdown in talks between Athens and its creditors plunged the country deep into crisis.

Tsipras told Juncker that "obstructing the Greek people's democratic expression by closing banks goes against the democratic tradition of Europe," according to a Greek official. Tsipras asked Juncker to help get the program "extended by a few days and help restore the Greek banking system's liquidity."

He also spoke to the European Parliament President Martin Schulz and asked for parliamentary support.

After receiving no extra emergency funding for Greek lenders from the European Central Bank, Tsipras somberly announced capital controls in a televised address Sunday night to prevent banks from collapsing under the weight of mass withdrawals.

Greece has less than 48 hours to pay back $1.77 billion of International Monetary Fund loans, and a default would set of a chain of events that could lead to the country's exit from the euro.

After Tsipras angered Greece's international lenders by announcing a snap referendum July 5 on the terms of a cash-for-reforms deal, hopes of a last-minute breakthrough have faded fast. Greeks reacted with a mixture of disbelief and fear.

“I can't believe it,” said Athens resident Evgenia Gekou, 50, on her way to work. “I keep thinking we will wake up tomorrow and everything will be OK. I'm trying hard not to worry.”

European officials sent confusing signals about their next move. A spokesman for the European Commission told French radio that Brussels would not make any new proposals on Monday. That statement appears to contradict comments by EU Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, who said that a new offer was forthcoming and that the two sides were “only a few centimeters” away from a deal.