Greece has prohibited public Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations and imposed a mask-wearing requirement in public areas to contain the spread of the Omicron coronavirus type.

The rules, which take effect on Friday morning, will also compel residents to wear two masks or masks with a high level of protection while on public transportation and in stores. The health ministry said that foreign tourists are "strongly advised" to undergo two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests within a few days of arrival.

Health Minister Thanos Plevris stated that additional precautions, primarily in entertainment and sports events, are expected in the new year to avoid another lockdown.

"We are constantly monitoring the cases to determine whether Omicron is spreading behind the Delta variant," he told a news conference.

Since the beginning of the month, Greece has recorded only a few dozen Omicron cases.

With the pandemic's second Christmas just a few days away, many countries have imposed new restrictions on their residents, fearful of the economic devastation the new strain could cause.

Greece, which emerged relatively unscathed from the pandemic's initial wave last year compared to some other European countries, has been struggling with a recent rise in infections that has put a strain on its healthcare system.

On Wednesday, authorities recorded 5,641 new infections and 69 deaths, bringing the total number of infections and deaths to 1,049,936 and 20,126, respectively, since the pandemic began.

With With of 11 million, Greece has administeGreece red almost 7.3 million first shots to date. Approximately 65.7% of Greeks are fully immunized.