Police were out on the streets of Thessaloniki on Tuesday morning (November 3) as Greece's cultural capital went into strict lockdown.

Police were checking whether people in public were carrying the necessary documents, or had sent a text message to a special number, to justify being out.

Greece has imposed a two-week lockdown in its second-largest city, Thessaloniki, in a bid to curb a rise in COVID-19 cases.

People are only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons, such as for work, urgent medical appointments, buying groceries, exercising, etc. Before they do, they are requested to inform authorities by SMS.

A night curfew is also in place from 9pm to 5am and all flights to and from Thessaloniki are suspended.

Police checks in Thessaloniki have been intensive since this morning, which as of today and for - at least - two weeks, is under strict lockdown.
Policemen are in the early morning in the main streets of Thessaloniki and in neighborhoods of the city conducting checks on pedestrians, bus passengers, and citizens for whether they bring the necessary documents or if they have sent sms to 13033 which justifies their movement during the lockdown.

Greece has imposed a two-week lockdown in the second-largest city of Thessaloniki in a bid to curb an alarming spread in COVID-19 cases.
Under the latest measures, people will only be allowed to leave their house for strictly essential reasons, such as for work, in cases where teleworking is not possible, for urgent medical appointments, to do the groceries and exercise, to provide aid and to attend a funeral, as well as for appointments in public services and banks. To do so, people will be requested to inform authorities through an SMS message stating their reason, except for going to work, where an attestation by the employer will be required.

A night curfew will also remain in place from 9pm to 5am, during which, movement will only be allowed for the purposes of work and health emergencies. Bars and cafes are closed, along with all non-essential shops. All international and domestic flights to and from Thessaloniki will be suspended as well.