Greece's private beaches re-open ahead of season

Beaches run by private concession in Greece reopened Saturday, a week ahead of the official launch of the tourism season.

Hundreds of beach goers enjoyed the sea and the beach in Alimos suburb, southwest of Athens, while bars were busy making drinks for their customers.

Public health officials announced a roadmap of reopening measures on Friday largely aimed at helping Greece's key holiday industry.

Museums will reopen on May 14, while retail restrictions will be further relaxed, and a ban on domestic travel between the country's 54 administrative regions is also expected to be lifted.

Greece has only recently stabilized its rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths following a surge that started in mid-February.

Vaccinations reached record daily levels this week and roughly 1-in-10 country residents have been fully vaccinated.