ATHENS – The rollback of coronavirus-related restrictions in public movement as of Monday has created a new reality, one that is unprecedented and fluctuating on a daily basis, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said on Tuesday.

During the daily briefing on the Covid-19 pandemic developments in Greece, Hardalias reiterated personal hygiene directions and rules as being more necessary now that the public could leave their homes freely and come into contact with others.

He also condemned some coffee shops and bars in cities outside metropolitan areas which he said had abused the idea of take-out coffee. Some, he said, turned the volume of music up after 11:00 p.m. and "served their clientele so-called take-away drinks, with their customers crowding by the dozen inside and outside the stores." Bars om Greece remain shut, as do any sit-down services.

"Take away does not include alcoholic drinks," the minister said, "it means you order, you take it, you leave the store." Authorities will be on the lookout for such phenomena, he stressed, and impose fines.