ATHENS — It will be difficult for restaurants to reopen during the Christmas period, Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Monday in reply to a question on reopening the market after the lockdown, during an interview with SKAI TV.

"We will make the decisions based on the advice of the Infectious Diseases Committee. It seems that, unfortunately, the numbers are not yet what we would like. Clearly there are signs of improvement, which I hope will continue in the coming days," he added.

Asked if the measures should have been taken earlier, he said that the pandemic was so sudden "that I do not think it is a true argument," adding that the Commission had not suggested the lockdown earlier.

As he pointed out, everyone wants the market to operate at Christmas, albeit with rules in place, but, he emphasised that this year's holidays will be nothing like any other festive period. "There can be no crowds, no big tables, no New Year's Eve," he said.