ATHENS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Greek authorities announced on Thursday the closure of courts, theaters, cinemas, culture events venues, clubs and gyms (public and private) nationwide for the next two weeks as part of efforts to contain the further spread of the coronavirus epidemic, as the total cases in the country reached 117.
Earlier on Thursday, the Health Ministry had announced also the first death in Greece. The victim was a 66-year-old Greek man who was hospitalized in western Greece since March 2. His case was included in the total.
A woman and her child, the first Greek cases to be diagnosed and hospitalized in Greece in late February, were discharged from hospital in the city of Thessaloniki in the north, Sotirios Tsiodras, the Health ministry's spokesperson for COVID-19 told the latest press briefing.
"A total of 34 patients were now hospitalized, including three in intensive care units," he added.
The expert reiterated a call to citizens to comply with the instructions given by authorities, avoid crowds and "those with mild symptoms should not go to hospitals to be examined."
From Wednesday evening mobile users in Greece received a message from the General Secretariat for Civil Protection to "stay at home as much as possible."
Greece's Supreme Court prosecutor Vassilis Pliotas on Thursday sent a circular to all the country's prosecutors, asking them to immediately intervene when there is any violation of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
Archaeological sites in Greece will be open as usual until further notice, while museums will introduce limitations in the number of visitors. At any moment no more than 20-30 people should be in a museum gallery, depending on the room's size, according to an e-mailed press statement issued by the Culture ministry.
"The museum follows the instructions of the Health ministry and official health authorities. Of course, as we all know, these are changing on a daily basis and we are also increasing measures accordingly," Dimitrios Pandermalis, President of the Acropolis museum told Xinhua in a phone interview.
"We have stepped up sanitation and disinfection measures at the museum, we have provided employees with disinfectants, we see that cashiers have gloves, we will add a crystal screen at the front desk so that there is no direct contact between visitors and employees," he explained.
