Greece sees spike in coronavirus infections on eve of tourist season

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - Greece’s coronavirus infection count has almost doubled days before it officially reopens doors on its tourist season, health authorities reported Tuesday.

The National Organization for Public Health reported a jump to 3,197 cases from 1,904 on Monday and 1,428 on Sunday.

A total of 1,356 were recorded in the Attica region and 343 in Thessaloniki.

The number of cases has now reached 367,076, it said.

Another 52 patients have died from the virus, raising the number of fatalities to 11,141.

Intubated patients remained relatively low and stable at 732.

Greece reopened elementary and middle school classes on Monday for the first time in months, while retail stores were given the green light last month.

Students and staff will have to self-test before attending classes and register results on an online platform.

The country wants to gradually lift restrictions as vaccinations continue at a fast pace, with the hope of reaching 4.5 million jabs by the end of June.