Athens goes into full lockdown as shops and schools close

The Greek capital entered a full lockdown on Thursday (February 11) as authorities attempted to reel in a jump in cases in Athens.

Shops, services and schools were all closed until the end of the month. A night curfew from 21:00 pm local time remained in effect and has been brought forward by three hours on the weekends.

An increase in hospital admissions, putting a strain on health services already stretched to the limit, and the spread of new virus variants, sparked the decision, Greece's prime minister said this week. Authorities said capacity at intensive care units had reached some 70 percent in Athens. 

"I believe that these "accordion" measures are half-measures. What we need is for a large part of the population to be vaccinated so that we can reach a (high) level of immunity," said one resident.

Athens first went into lockdown in March, which lasted three months, followed by a second partial closure since November.

Authorities reported 1496 new cases on Wednesday, with 558 of those in Athens and the wider region. 

Since December 410,000 people have been vaccinated with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, some 3.9% of the population.

More than 73% of doctors have been vaccinated, and close to 50% of nursing staff, according to authorities.