The Council of Ministers reviewed on Tuesday the protection measures against COVID-19 and amended the decree, abolishing the obligation to present a negative test to enter hospitals and nursing homes.

In statements after the Council of Ministers meeting, Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, said that the obligation to show a negative test for the coronavirus has been abolished. The only measure that remains in place is the use of masks in hospitals and nursing homes.

Damianos said the new amended decree is effective as of today.

Asked what the situation is in relation to COVID-19 cases, Damianos said that cases "are very limited. We are talking about a few hundred out of a large number of tests, around 80,000", he said.

He added that the COVID-19 cases in the Intensive Care Units are minimal, "so it was considered that it was unnecessary to continue the existing ones, which is why they are largely abolished".