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A30 world news
Diabierna 27 november 2020

Greece extends coronavirus lockdown by a week

(AP) — Greece’s gov- strictions on how many times
ernment spokesman on a day people can leave their
Thursday announced a homes, or for how long. A
weeklong extension to the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew is in
country’s current lock- place, during which people
down, due to the contin- can go out only for work, ur-
ued spread of the corona- gent health reasons or to walk
virus, particularly in the a pet.
north of the country. State-run broadcaster ERT
reported that three CO-
Stelios Petas said the lock- VID-19 patients needing
down, which was due to end intensive care unit facilities
on Nov. 30, would be extend- were airlifted from northern
ed to the morning of Dec. 7. Greece to Athens Thursday
“The decision is necessary as there were no more avail-
as the epidemiological load able ICU beds in their areas.
continues to be high,” Petsas Although the government
said. “In particular in some has carried out mass hirings
areas it is a source of con- of medical workers since
cern.” the pandemic struck and has
The announcement came more than doubled the num-
amid a 24-hour strike by ber of ICU beds since mid-
civil servants on a variety of 2019, many ICUs, particular-
demands, including better ly in northern Greece where
workplace protection against the outbreak has been most
the coronavirus. The strike controllers called off their the strike on a variety of de- and deaths that is straining severe, are at or near their
disrupted public transport strike after a court ruled their mands, including the in- the country’s health system. capacity. Health authorities
and services, while several participation illegal. crease of coronavirus-related Under the current lockdown have appropriated two pri-
hundred people defied a ban Greek journalists were also protective measures in work- measures, all retail stores, vate clinics in the northern
on gatherings imposed due to participating with a two- places and in schools, mass bars, restaurants, museums, city of Thessaloniki and their
the pandemic, holding pro- hour work stoppage between hirings in the public trans- entertainment venues and staff, to be used for coronavi-
tests in Athens and the north- 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., during port and health sectors, and gyms are closed. People are rus patients.
ern city of Thessaloniki. which no news broadcasts salary increases for civil ser- only allowed to leave home Greece has so far registered
Ferries to the islands were were aired. vants. for specific reasons, includ- more than 97,000 confirmed
halted and the Athens metro About 400 people gathered in Public transport workers are ing work, health reasons, es- coronavirus cases and just
system and tram were shut for central Athens for a protest also calling for workers to be sential purchases, and to ex- over 1,900 deaths in a coun-
Thursday’s strike, although march, while about 150 strik- allowed to undergo tests for ercise or walk a pet, and must try of 11 million. Nearly 600
buses continued to run in the ing workers also gathered COVID-19 at their compa- send a telephone text message people are intubated in ICUs
capital. Flights that had been briefly for a protest rally in nies’ expense. or carry a self-declaration to nationwide, according to fig-
canceled or rescheduled went Thessaloniki. Greece has seen a significant do so. ures released Wednesday eve-
ahead, however, as air traffic Civil servants unions called surge in coronavirus cases However, there are no re- ning.

EU fines drug makers for keeping Tensions rise over housing of

cheap medicine off market migrants on Spanish islands

grethe Vestager, said that Teva phar-
maceuticals and Cephalon, a company
it later acquired, must pay 60.5 mil-
lion euros ($72 million) for agreeing
between themselves to delay for years
the launch of Teva’s cheaper version
of Cephalon’s blockbuster Modafinil.
In return for the delay, Teva got ben-
eficial side deals and some payments.
Vestager said that “Teva’s and Cepha-
lon’s pay-for-delay agreement harmed
patients and national health systems,
depriving them of more affordable
medicines.”
Modafinil treats excessive daytime (AP) — The mayor of a town Onalia Bueno, the mayor of Mogán
sleepiness and under the brand name hosting many of the Africans ar- on Gran Canaria island told jour-
Provigil it accounted for more than riving in increasing numbers on nalists that the 10 hotels in her area
40% of Cephalon’s turnover. A cheap Spain’s Canary Islands pressed currently housing 3,471 migrants,
alternative would have had a serious the Spanish government Thurs- including unaccompanied minors,
impact on the company, and the EU day to move into state facilities should be freed up by the end of
argued that Cephalon enticed Teva in thousands of migrants and asy- December when the contract with
2005 to stay out of its market. In 2011, lum seekers currently lodged in the central government to house
(AP) — The European Union has Teva acquired Cephalon. hotels. migrants expires.
fined two pharmaceutical compa- Teva said in a statement that it main- Bueno has threatened to fine the
nies for colluding to keep a cheap tained its innocence. “We continue to More than 20,000 West Africans and hotels if they continue to rent out
alternative to a sleep disorder believe the modafinil patent settle- Moroccans have reached the Atlan- rooms to the Spanish government
medicine off the market for their ment agreement did not infringe EU tic Ocean archipelago by boat or after December 31.
profit and at the expense of pa- competition law in relation to the been rescued at sea so far this year, The government says the hotels are
tients. principles” laid out by the EU’s court up from 1,500 in the same period an adequate transitional solution
of justice. “We are planning to file an of 2019. Roughly half came in No- given the plunge in tourism caused
EU antitrust commissioner, Mar- appeal.” vember alone. by the coronavirus pandemic.