The government imposed stricter measures in three regions including Attica as of Saturday, following a steep rise in infections this past week, that included longer curfews and a ban on in-store visits for clothing and shoe retailers, both on weekends.

At a live briefing on the pandemic on Friday, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection & Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said that curfew in Attica, Attica, Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki peninsula will start at 18:00 on Saturday (instead of 21:00-05:00 during the week) and retailers will operate by e-orders only ("click-away").

Pick-ups will be still allowed, but in-store presence on Saturdays is banned.

Retailers and personal care services (hairdressers, beauty salons) will open Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 20:00; only pharmacies, super markets, bakeries and petrol stations will open on weekends, from 07:00 to 17:00.

The three large regions, as well as the five regions of Patras, Chalkida, Mykonos, Santorini and Aghios Nikolaos in Crete, are all under strict epidemiological monitoring, following a surge in infections.

Added to the "red alert" regions on Friday were those of Rethymno on Crete, Pydna/Kolindros in Macedonia, Dirfii/Messapies in Evia, Andravida/Kyllini in the Peloponnese, and Tempi near Larissa.

In all but the three regions named above, retail stores will shut down. Only supermarkets, grocers and pharmacies will be allowed to operate over the next 10 days.

The stricter measures will come into effect for all regions on Saturday and remain in effect until February 15.