ATHENS – "The transition to normality will be carried out gradually, first with hairdressers and smaller enterprises which are not crowded. Then we will move on to larger stores and schools, followed by hotels," government spokesperson Stelios Petsas said on Tuesday, in an interview with public broadcaster ERT.

Last to open will be the seasonal hotels, which are the most difficult because they are linked with travel, he said.

"The government's coordinated plan will start to be unveiled in phases, so that the impact in terms of the pandemic can be evaluated," he underlined.

Referring to the opening of schools, Petsas said "the purpose of all the measures we have taken so far was not to keep us locked up in our homes forever. It was to get out of our houses."

Regarding those who argue that schools should be open in September, he noted that they will then likely have the same fears then that they do today. "What matters is that we go step by step, to make sure that each step is safe," he added.