THESSALONIKI – A bus driver in Thessaloniki was sentenced to 80 months in jail – suspended – after he made a 12-year-old boy step off for not wearing a mask against COVID-19, the court ruling he exposed the boy to danger.

The child had to walk for 45 minutes along a busy road until his mother found him, said Kathimerini, and his family pressed charges against the driver who said he told everyone not wearing a mask, which is required, to get off.

He also claimed that he did not realize that the child had disembarked, nor that he was unaccompanied but the report said that his testimony was not found to be credible. He has appealed and was released.

The New Democracy government, in a bid to lure tourists, has essentially ended all health measures and ended the mask requirement almost everywhere but they are still mandatory on public transportation.