ATHENS – An 11-day heatwave – and counting – led Greek authorities to shut off the Acropolis during afternoon hours to protect tourists from baking temperatures on the treeless site, archaeological sites also closed and outdoor work banned.

Temperatures again soared over 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) and hit as high as 42.2 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) in Oleni, Ilia, in the Peloponnese, but there was nowhere comfortable in the country, too hot even for beaches.

Climate change that the world’s governments have essentially glossed over or ignored has been largely blamed but nothing’s being done about, bringing worries in Greece tourists will stop coming if it continues.

The Acropolis, on a rocky hill overlooking Athens, draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year – limited to 20,000 daily in the summer – and was closed from noon until 5 p.m. for the public..

“This is abnormal for all across the world, right? What is it, they said, that by the end of these 50 years we’re not going to be able to keep up with climate change anymore,” said Andrea Warren, 36, from Canada, told Reuters there.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-shuts-acropolis-part-day-heatwave-continues-2024-07-17/

Labour Minister Niki Kerameus said that, “We are experiencing an intense climate change … and that’s why the state has to adapt, bearing in mind always the protection of its people and in particular of its workers.”

Hellenic Red Cross crews handed out bottles of water to tourists – some not wearing hats as the sun beat down relentlessly – as visitors lined up to gest into the site that has soared in popularity.

The Greek meteorological service has forecast that extreme heat conditions will continue through the weekend – likely the rest of the month –  prompting authorities to restrict outdoor work from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

That includes workers such as builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipwrights with predictions the temperature on July 18 could go as high as 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) in some regions.

With most of Greece seeing little or no rain in months, many of its islands, which draw millions of tourists over the summer, are also grappling with water shortages.

“At times I get headaches, dizziness, blurry vision,” 44-year-old municipal street cleaner Adamantia Krassa told the site. “In such high temperatures, I believe we should stop working after a certain hour, pause and then resume.”

A Red Cross mobile unit was stationed on Syntagma Square in central Athens to offer assistance to passers-by as people wilted in the heat, few places to find relief, with few municipal swimming pools and public beaches taken over by businesses.

“We are going through a prolonged period of high temperatures. All this physical strain has negative effects on the human body,” said the unit’s coordinator, Dimitra Tsekoura, the city opening some buildings with air-conditioning.