By Magda Panoutsopoulou
ATHENS (AA) - The number of new coronavirus cases again jumped in Greece with 2,166 new infections Tuesday, the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic in February.
Infections jumped to 44,246 with 4,225 related to travel abroad and 14,111 linked to already known cases, according to health authorities.
A total of 22 new cases are related to known clusters and 40 were identified at the country’s entry points.
The number of intubated patients remains high and is seeing a steady rise since last week, reaching 169.
Total fatalities stand at 655 with 13 deaths Tuesday.
The worst-hit areas with the highest case numbers are in the regions of Attica with 542 and Thessaloniki at 595, according to the National Public Health Organization. It said three-digit numbers were also in Rodopi with 108 and Larissa recorded 106 cases.
Since Tuesday, a full lockdown took effect in Thessaloniki and Serres.
A curfew will be imposed from 9 p.m. (1900GMT) to 5 a.m. (0300GMT) for the next 15 days in those areas.
Residents will need to inform the General Secretariat for Civil Protection via text if they need to leave their homes -- a measure that was in place during the first lockdown in March.
High schools will be closed but other schools will remain open, while university classes will continue online.
The lockdown comes days after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans to tighten safety measures.
He said In a televised address Saturday that there will be restrictions on movement and bars, cafes, cinemas, gyms, and museums in high-risk areas will be closed.