ATHENS — Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis is to visit the city of Patras on Saturday, where he will meet local officials and the city's most senior cleric, Metropolitan Chrysostomos, to discuss the enforcement of health protection measures during the feast day of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Patras, on Monday.

The region of Achaia is among the seven worst hit in the country in terms of Covid-19 cases and an increasing burden on the health system has been witnessed there recently, raising concern in the government and prompting the personal intervention earlier on Friday of the prime minister, who called local government officials to enlist their aid in enforcing curbs for Covid-19.

Chrisochoidis will chair a meeting at the city's police headquarters at 10:30 on Saturday, attended by the Western Greece governor, the deputy regional governor for Achaia, five mayors, the director of the regional health unit, the heads of the two largest hospitals in the area and the university rector.

The meeting will discuss the actions that must be taken to contain the pandemic, while police will be given instructions to strictly enforce the measures.

Chrisochoidis is expected to make a statement afterwards, before meeting with Metropolitan Chrysostomos.