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| Passengers wearing protective face masks make their way at the Athens International airport, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Athens, Greece, March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis |
Greece on Monday suspended flights from Britain and Turkey to curb the spread of coronavirus, as a lockdown took effect in the country.
The ban came into effect at 0400 GMT — 6:00 a.m. in Athens — on March 23 and ends at 1300 GMT on April 15. It was a temporary and preemptive measure, a ministerial decree said, as part of further efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Greece saw its largest single-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, a rise of 94 infections which brought the total to 624, with fatalities increasing to 15.
The prime minister announced a curfew with few exceptions restricting the movement of people, the latest in a series of measures to fight the virus. Greece has already sealed its borders to non-EU citizens, and those from Italy and Spain.
Police officers were deployed on the streets of Athens on Monday to enforce the lockdown, which allows people out only with special permits. The lockdown order came into effect at 0400 GMT.
