Greece allows music in bars and restaurants again as COVID cases ease

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective masks make their way to Monastiraki square amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Athens, Greece, December 29, 2021. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi/File Photo

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will allow music in restaurants and bars again and extend their operating hours as it lifts some of the restrictions imposed last month now that coronavirus infections and the pressure on hospitals are easing, authorities said on Thursday.

The country last month forced bars, nightclubs and restaurants to close at midnight, with no standing customers and no music, following a surge of cases over the Christmas holidays due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.