Αssociated Press
A barman wearing a protective face mask prepares a drink as people sitting outdoor are reflected on a window of Lola cafe-bar in Petralona, district of Athens, Monday, May 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) 5/11/2021 The National Herald
ATHENS – Almost wiped out by COVID-19 lockdowns keeping them shuttered more than half a year, indoor restaurants and bars in Greece could open on June 1 although the pandemic isn t over.
That s seen as a lifeline to them after those with outdoor seating were allowed to open as the country is set to welcome tourists on May 15 in a bid to salvage an economy brought down by the Coronavirus and closings of non-essential businesses.
Follow RT on The Greek capital has been brought to a standstill as public sector workers protest against new legislation that they claim would restrict employee rights at a time when the economy is struggling to rebuild from the pandemic.
Police estimated that as many as 6,500 workers gathered outside the country’s parliament building in Athens on Thursday after Greece’s main civil servants union ADEDY called a 24-hour-strike.
The union organized the strike, which aims to highlight their grievances with the new legislation, to coincide with the country’s May Day celebrations. ADEDY says the planned bill will abolish the five-day working week, add two hours to the standard working day and get rid of collective agreements.
Αssociated Press
A view outside a vaccination centre, in the Helliniko suburb, southwest of Athens, Saturday, May 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) 5/10/2021 The National Herald
ATHENS – In another sign that not being vaccinated against COVID-19 could be a stigma or Scarlet Letter, Greece s New Democracy government is considering further easing of health restrictions for people who are inoculated.
Vaccines could become mandatory in September if Greece doesn t hit the benchmark of 70 percent of the population of 10.7 million – or some 7.49 million fully protected, needed to achieve herd immunity and push back the pandemic.
But Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he won t make them a requirement for health care workers, a surprising number of whom have refused to take the shots even though they are on the front line and see the Coronavirus effects.
Gridlock in Athens as transport staff strike over labour reform
05/06/2021 11:51
ATHENS (Reuters) - Traffic was gridlocked in parts of Athens and some flights disrupted on Thursday as Greek transport workers joined a 24-hour public sector strike to protest over planned labour legislation.
Unions in Greece say they oppose the government labour bill because it restricts employee rights at a time when workers risk job losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. The government says the changes would give workers more flexibility.
With the subway, trains, public buses at a standstill and ferries to the islands docked at ports, many commuters were forced to drive to work, clogging major traffic arteries into the sprawling city of almost four million.
President Sakellaropoulou’s Coffee Outing as Greece Reopens After Six Months
” width=”700″>President Katerina Sakellaropoulou is joined by friends for a cup of coffee in downtown Athens. Credit: Twitter/Katerina Sakellaropoulou
The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, enjoyed her first outdoor coffee outing in six months, as restaurants, bars and cafes reopened on Monday.
Sakellaropoulou is seen in the company of Greek doctors from the Athenian hospitals of Evangelismos and Sotiria.
” width=”1080″>“First day with the restaurants opening again, albeit with restrictions. Enjoying a coffee and a friendly conversation with doctors from Evangelismos and Sotiria; we relive small joys of everyday life, which we considered self-evident until they were deprived by the pandemic,” she wrote on Twitter.