ATHENS — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is gathering all the necessary information and data concerning the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, and will announce updates in the course of standing restriction measures towards the end of the week, said government spokesperson Stelios Petsas on Monday.

Greece is currently observing a nationwide lockdown until December 7; the continuation, or not, of the lockdown and other restrictions therein will be decided on the basis of which sectors of social and economic activity can be reopened safely, he stressed.

Petsas also raised the significance of vaccinations against the coronavirus and said that the arrival of those is a relief, and "a ray of hope." However, he noted, citizens must observe all restrictions and safety protocols diligently until a sufficient percentage of the population has been vaccinated, in coming months.

The most recent facts and figures are "somewhat positive," he added, with the number of new cases dropping and the dispersal rate also dropping in Greece, even though this is happening at a slower pace than one would want or expect. Naturally, "people are tired after 10 months of fighting an invisible enemy," he pointed out.

One of the most difficult sectors to consider, or not, reopening, is cafes and restaurants, which might be reopened, unlike nightclubs and live venues – which will not be reopened, he noted; "that is a given," he stressed.

In any case, the government, alongside the health ministry's committee of health experts, will consider the reopening of shops and schools with priority over cafes and restaurants, Petsas concluded.