People wearing protective face masks make their way on Monastiraki square after the Greek government imposed a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Athens, Greece. (Reuters)
Greece will tighten coronavirus curbs for a week from Sunday, closing hair salons, bookstores and some other shops that had been allowed to reopen in the run-up to Christmas, the government said on Saturday.
Most shops remained closed during December in Greece but the seasonal easing of restrictions provided a little relief for some hard-hit retail businesses.
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The new, tighter rules will come into force on Jan. 3, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said in a televised statement. A night-time curfew will start at 9 p.m., an hour earlier than before.
Petsas said the measures were aimed at helping schools reopen on Jan. 11.
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Greece, which started the first vaccinations against the coronavirus last week, has reported 139,447 confirmed coronavirus cases and 4,881 related deaths.
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