Greece extends lockdown to May 4, delays migrant transfers

Greece is extending coronavirus lockdown measures by a week to May 4, the government said Thursday, a move that will delay the planned removal of hundreds of migrants from congested camps.

The country has managed to keep fatalities at a low level after registering its first virus death on March 12, despite a decade of cuts imposed on its public health system during the post-2010 debt crisis.

Supermarkets, banks and food delivery restaurants are among the few businesses still operating, and Greeks must inform authorities when leaving their homes for necessities, or risk fines. "Restrictive measures that apply until April 27 are extended by a week to May 4," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters.

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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis next week will be announcing steps to remove some of the nationwide lockdown measures imposed on March 22, Petsas added. "Transition to the new normality will be slow and will unfold progressively in May and June," adding that effects on public health will be evaluated on a "week-to-week" basis.

The spokesman noted that the lockdown extension will delay the planned removal of hundreds of elderly and ailing asylum seekers from overstretched migrant camps on Greek islands. "Naturally this plan will now be slightly delayed," he said.

One of the largest transfers, involving 1,500 people from Greece's largest camp on the island of Lesbos on Saturday, has now been scaled back in size according to local officials. Despite strict quarantine measures, there have been coronavirus cases in two camps and a migrant hotel on the Greek mainland, where 150 people tested positive this week.

So far, no cases have been reported in camps on the islands, with no widespread screening conducted by authorities. The relaxation of the restrictions is set to begin with a partial reopening of courts and land registers on April 27.

The education ministry has also announced plans for final-year school pupils to hold university entry exams in June. Greece has so far officially announced 121 deaths, with 55 people still in intensive care.