ATHENS – A couple of weeks after trying to fine people in a public square 300 euros ($352) for gathering in violation of a COVID-19 lockdown, Greek police are again checking for those defying the rules.

That resulted in nine people being arrested and fines for 930 people breaking restrictions on public movement which require permission on mobile phones, Internet forms or written out by hand stating the reason for being out.

In a press release, the Greek police (ELAS) said that most violations were in the most populous Attica prefecture that includes Athens, some 149 and 148 in the second-largest city Thessaloniki in the north.

Another 178 fines were issued for not wearing masks, ELAS said, mostly in Central Greece, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Attica and Central Macedonia and that those arrested were business owners who opened unlawfully.

ELAS officers conducted a total of 65,399 inspections on March 29, nearly 8,000 of which were at Athens International Airport without explaining why there were so many at a facility were most people were flying in and out.

Greece has been in a lockdown that's varied between being lenient and tough since imposed on Nov. 7, 2020 in a bid to slow the pandemic that worsened, driven by people ignoring rules or holding private parties.