Retail stores and banks in Greece’s areas worst affected by the Elpida snowstorm will remain closed for a second day on Wednesday.
The measure concerns the regions of Attica, Crete and Southern Aegean and the regional units of Viotia and Evia, as announced by government officials.
Supermarkets and grocery stores are exempted from the closure order and will be open for business from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Gas stations and pharmacies will also be open according to their regular hours and normal on-call schedules.
Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides has acknowledged the insufficient response of the state to the winter storm that affected large parts of the country and the need to apologize to the citizens.
“There’s no doubt this was a very difficult phenomenon, with a snowstorm that rarely happens. But, there’s also no doubt that there were deficiencies at all levels of implementation,” he said.
“That’s why I emphasized from the start that the authorities must apologize,” he added.
