ATHENS —  Stores trading exclusively in seasonal goods for Christmas, such as Christmas trees and decorations, will be permitted to open from Monday, December 7, 2020 and will operate until January 8, 2021. The general public can visit them by sending an SMS using option #2 (essential goods and services shopping) to the number 13033 or filling in the equivalent forms before leaving the house.

The stores will operate from 07:00 until 20:30 pm.

The sale of Christmas decorations and other items relating to the holiday season will also be allowed in supermarkets.

Greek authorities announced Sunday that new daily coronavirus cases dropped below 1,000 for the first time since Oct. 26.

There were 904 confirmed cases over the past 24 hours, along with 101 deaths, authorities said.

The total number of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic is 115,471, with 3,003 deaths.

Despite a significant drop in cases over the past week, authorities have extended the countrywide lockdown to Dec. 14, but have allowed certain shops, including those selling Christmas-related merchandise, to open from Monday.

The number of patients on ventilators, at 600, was still close to all-time highs, straining the capacity of the national health system.