Greece suspends all schools due to coronavirus fears

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced on Tuesday that Greece will shut down all schools for the next 14 days to prevent the spread of new coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Kikilias said this will apply to all levels from daycare institutions to university level institutions, public and private.

According to official figures as of Tuesday, there were five new cases, raising the total number of cases to 89.

The global death toll from the coronavirus is now over 4,000, with nearly 114,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

COVID-19 originated in China but has reached over 100 countries, with the WHO saying on Monday that the “threat of a pandemic has become very real”.

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, some governments closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries.