The restrictive coronavirus measures will start being rolled back after the long May Day weekend, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias formally revealed on Monday, while calling on the public to forget celebrating by going on excursions.
The celebration of May Day, which is Greece's Labor Day, will have to be postponed for the first Saturday following the first rollback, he announced during the daily briefing with coronavirus task force spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras.

May, June

Speaking of the timetable, Hardalias said restrictions would be rolled back gradually in May and June, leaving a two-week period in-between each rollback to monitor developments, and to allow various sectors in the economy to prepare for reopening. (Strict measures began on March 23.)

"We are preparing intensely for the day after," the minister said, but warned that the transition will not be as easy as it sounds. "The new challenge as of next week is for people to move around while observing rules of personal protection and respect for the rest of our fellow-citizens," he noted.

Miki, N. Greece

The minister also said that lockdown in Miki, northern Greece, would be extended to May 4 preventatively; that curfews will be lifted as of Tuesday for the coastline promenade areas of Patras, Thessaloniki and Volos; and that Kastoria and Xanthi, among others, will see strick lockdown lifted the same day as well.
In addition, the entry point of Kipoi from Turkey, at the Evros border, will be strictly monitored and people required to test for the virus and live at specified hotels for 14 days, just as is done for incoming flights from abroad. Over the weekend in particular, he said, 489 people arrived on 6 flights, all were checked, 4 were found positive to the virus and all were transferred to hotels.

Sotiris Tsiodras

The Health Ministry’s coronavirus spokesman and infectious diseases professor Sotiris Tsiodras on Monday evening said that the upcoming gradual lifting of restrictive measures "should not be interpreted as a return to normalcy."
He added that citizens should still avoid unnecessary travel, should adhere to social distancing and should also avoid overcrowding, as "any such relaxation could prove devastating." 

On schools

The coronavirus task force will recommend that schools reopen, he added, but subcommittees at the Health Ministry are examining the parameters of opening schools before proposing a date. "The opening of schools is a scientific recommendation; it's the state that decides," he underlined. However, global statistics show "it is certain that children have a very low capability of infecting others." 

Obligatory masks

Even after a partial lifting of measures, he said, people will be obliged to wear masks when in areas with a lot of other people, especially in public transport, hospitals, markets, even hairdressers and small shops. The same will hold true for employees in contact with the public such as supermarket tellers.

New symptoms

Citing the World Health Organization, Tsiodras said it has added six new symptoms to its existing list of symptoms for COVID-19, beyond fever, cough and shortness of breath: chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell.

Daily statistics

The professor also announced 17 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Greece in the last 24 hours, and 2 new deaths.
The Covid-19 infections total in Greece stands at 2,534.
Fatalities stand at 136 since the start of the outbreak; 36 of them were women. Of the 136, a 90.4 pct had underlying health issues or their average age was 70 years or more. The average age of all the deceased was 74 years of age.
Some 43 patients are being treated in Intensive Care Units and 11 of these are women. An 89 pct of ICU patients have underlying health issues or are over 70 years of age. 
A total of 65 people have so far been discharged from ICUs.
Some 66,094 Covid-19 diagnostic tests have been carried out in Greece since the start of the outbreak.