Schools in Attiki area and on the island of Crete remained closed on Thursday – four days after an unprecedentedly severe snowstorm almost paralysed the whole of Greece.
Schools in these regions will remain closed on Friday as well, according to a government decision which also issued a strong recommendation for the private sector to operate via teleworking.
Greece continues to grapple with efforts to return to normal as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologised on Wednesday for the state’s unpreparedness to deal with the impact of the snowstorm.
The snowstorm had brought transport in Athens to a halt and left thousands of drivers stranded on a main city motorway.
Heavy snow is rare in the Greek capital but the country has now been hit by extreme weather for a second consecutive winter.
After Monday’s snowstorm, thousands were evacuated from the Attiki motorway, the capital’s main ring-road, some abandoning their cars on foot or finding shelter at the city’s airport. Others were trapped in freezing temperatures for hours.
About 3,000 households remained without power in the wider Athens area for a third day on Thursday.
