The scenic city of Thessaloniki, often celebrated as Greece's cultural heart, is grappling with a fresh emergency tied to its waste management and sewage networks. Repeated strikes by refuse collectors have previously resulted in trash heaping up on the streets of the city. EU officials earlier this year voiced their concern, stating that: "Thessaloniki is drowning in rubbish.
" However, recent sewage system examinations have uncovered an underlying spread of Covid-19 within the popular tourist destination. The EODY, Greece's National Public Health Organisation, has noted a spike in hospital admissions due to Covid . In just one week, from July 8 to 14, over 650 cases were reported nationwide, a tripling of the numbers from the corresponding week the previous year, reports the Express .
Current data from Thessaloniki's wastewater analysis indicates that Covid-19 case numbers are doubling roughly every 18 days. The Greek authorities are handing out water to tourists amid the unprecedented heatwave (Image: GETTY) Speaking to a Greek television news channel, Matina Pagoni, President of The Association of Hospital Doctors' Union of Athens and Piraeus (EINAP), said: "It's summer, we're going on vacation, we never said the coronavirus was gone." She added: "The truth is that this year, compared to last year, the cases have nothing to do with it.
There are too many, there are many hospitalisations and also deaths. 21-22 deaths are too many." With the majority of Covid cases now attributed to the new vaccine-resistant FLiRT variants, Greece might not be the idyllic summer holiday destination many had hoped for.
Further provoking concerns amongst tourists is the early heatwave that's resulted in health risks for locals and contributed to the demise of six tourists. Island hopping may provide no respite with temperatures reaching above 40C in June - typically one of the cooler summer months in the Greek islands. A hiker tragically lost his life on Samos due to the sweltering heat.
Chania district has experienced even higher temperatures creeping into the mid-40s, where a German hiker aged 67 died from heat exposure. Long spells of intense heat inevitably lead to water shortages, prompting an emergency declaration in Sifnos within the Cyclades, Leros in the Dodecanese Islands as well as parts of Crete and Sami in Kefalonia, owing to inadequate fresh drinking water. With the heatwave has come an early start to the wildfire season (Image: GETTY) Locals are critically looking at luxury villas with swimming pools, as farmers struggle to irrigate their crops.
The northern island of Thassos has even installed a desalination plant to transform seawater into a potable source. Fuelled by the scorching temperatures, forest fires have ravaged some areas. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cautions that wildfires in 2024 could surpass previous years in severity, following early heatwaves accompanied by unusually strong winds.
"It is a summer which is expected to be particularly dangerous. The most difficult times are still ahead of us," he advised. The surge in tourism is causing a strain on local life in Greece, with residents feeling the pinch of the ever-increasing influx of visitors.
Speaking to Euronews, Katerina Kikilia, Professor of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, highlighted the issue, saying: "We need rules. Athenians face daily social and environmental impacts. The housing crisis is huge.
" With both locals and tourists grappling with these challenges, it's evident that the era of effortlessly heading to Greece for a relaxed two-week holiday filled with sunbathing and ouzo, without considering an exit strategy, may well be over for good..
