



The Greek government is expected to announce next week the gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions which will start on May 4, as health authorities announced on Saturday that no fatality had been recorded in the last 24 hours.

Health Ministry representative, epidemiologist Sotiris Tsiodras said that the death toll from the coronavirus remains unchanged at 130. He announced sixteen new cases of infection in the country, which raises the total number to 2,506.

Tsiodras said 47 people remain in intensive care units around the country, with the average age of those patients being 67. At the same time, 63 people have successfully left the ICU. Health authorities in Greece have run a total of 63,087 coronavirus tests.

Government officials are holding successive meetings over the weekend to finalize a plan for the gradual lifting of the measures.

According to press reports, the lifting of restrictions will begin on May 4 with the opening of small retail stores, including hairdressers and beauty salons. It is also thought that movement restrictions will be lifted on the same day by ending the process through which people apply via sms before they venture out of their homes.

The opening of Greek high schools will follow the week after, on May 11, according to the same reports. Restaurants and coffee shops will follow two weeks later, on May 25, whereas churches and hotels will have to wait until the middle of June to open their doors.

Greece will be able to welcome tourists from selected countries by July, as Minister of Tourism Charis Theocharis said on Thursday.

Related: Six Ways Greece Has Successfully Flattened the Coronavirus Curve



