Greece further relaxes COVID-19 restrictions

Greece on Wednesday announced further relaxation in COVID-19-related restrictions.

In a televised address, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection & Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias announced that as of Saturday, the night curfew will begin one hour later at 01:30 a.m. until 05:00 a.m local time.

"As of July 1, the curfew will be lifted if the conditions allow it," Hardalias said, referring to the epidemiological data.

Music will be allowed at outdoor cafes and restaurants, while cafes and restaurants that are well-ventilated and have a separate entrance and exit will be allowed to reopen for indoor dining.

Venues with a capacity of 1,000 people will be allowed to accept 75% of their total capacity, 70% for up to 5,000 people and 65% for venues with capacity up to 15,000 people.

Meanwhile, the number of new infections in the country are seeing a significant decline, with 890 new virus cases recorded on Wednesday, down from 1,339 on Tuesday.

The total number of cases in the country has reached 412,420 cases since the beginning of the outbreak, according to the National Public Health Organization.

Greece also registered 15 deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the country to 12,346.

Some 106 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital over the last 24 hours.

Greece has administered more than 6 million jabs so far, with around 4 million having received at least one dose.