ATHENS – Apparently fed up with defiance of health protocols aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, the ruling New Democracy government has stepped up measures while police have fined individuals and businesses but no reports any were closed.

The Hellenic Police (ELAS) said there were 57,138 inspections around the country on Aug. 28 and 373 fines of 150 euros ($178.69) each for not wearing masks or not keeping a safe social distance of at least 1.5 meters (4.92 feet.)

Officers also recorded 13 infringements of safety regulations by private business. Since the beginning of August, a total of 454 such violations by businesses have been confirmed, leading to 28 arrests, said Kathimerini.

Authorities arrested a lawyer who violated quarantine orders by traveling to the island of Mykonos where he has a holiday house, the island being the scene of wild, giant parties among the young, turning it into a COVID-19 hot spot.

The lawyer had returned from abroad and was supposed to be isolated in a hotel in Athens after coming into contact with a patient that had tested positive for the Coronavirus but defied the quarantine, the paper said.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on a bus in Athens for refusing to cooperate with police who told him to wear a mask. Greece has a contingent of anti-maskers and COVID-19 conspiracy theory groups who either believe it's a hoax or being used by secret cabals to control their minds, which apparently didn't work on them.

Passengers on an Aug. 25 flight from Zante on the Greek island of Zakynthos to Cardiff in Wales were told to isolate after it was found to be the source of at least seven cases, Public Health Wales said.

 Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the COVID-19 outbreak at the agency said I a statement that investigations had found that the virus had spread to other groups of people because of “a lack of social distancing, in particular by a minority of the 20-30 year age group,” said Reuters, the report indicating yet another party,

That led Greece to impose travel restrictions on the island that is popular with hooligans and has seen frequent violence, including the murder of an American tourist, the government  unable to control it yet.