The Greek Health Ministry announced on Monday that eleven more individuals have tested positive for Coronavirus in the country, bringing the total to 84 cases.
Of the 84 people, 56 of the cases are from the same tour group that returned from a pilgrimage to Israel and Egypt.
All of the patients isolated and only one is in serious condition.
One of the new cases reported was an employee of the Israeli Embassy in Athens. The Embassy has since closed and will remain closed until March 23, according to several Tweets released on the Embassy’s official Twitter account.
The majority of the cases in Greece are in Western Greece, in the region of Amaliada, close to Patras.
Other cases have been reported in Thessaloniki, Zakynthos, Evia, Athens and Mitilini.
The government is taking measures to try and contain the spread of the virus, which has killed thousands of people throughout the world.
Measures include “a suspension of all mass gatherings” at theaters, museums, cinemas and sporting events in the Western Peloponnese.
Spectators will also be kept away from the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony in Ancient Olympia this Thursday and the the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) announced the temporary suspension of all flights to northern Italy from Greece.
Dozens of conventions and conferences have been canceled or postponed in Athens, including the Food Expo Greece, a trade show that attracts tens of thousands of participants annually.
“The surge in cases of the new Covid-19 strain of coronavirus in Greece together with announcement from the Greek Ministry of Health regarding the cancellation of all outdoor meetings and events in the country, have created exceptional and unforeseen conditions that make the successful outcome of the upcoming Food Expo trade show incredibly precarious. At the same time, these conditions constitute a potential health risk for the fair’s attendees (exhibitors, visitors, associates) and their families,” according to a statement by the organizers of Food Expo Greece.
Meanwhile, the official body representing the Church of Greece issued a statement that Coronavirus cannot be transmitted through Holy Communion.
The opposition Syriza party called on the government to take a clear position on whether communion poses a danger in transmitting the disease.
“At a time when schools, universities and stadiums are kept closed and special measures are being taken for the swearing-in ceremony of the Greek President, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece insists that the sacrament of holy communion bears no danger of transmitting the new virus,” the statement from Syriza read.
