Locked down Athenians play with snow on beach

Despite the lockdown and movement restrictions, people in Athens went to the beach to play with the snow after heavy snowfall blanketed the Greek capital on Tuesday.

The snow, an unusual sight in the Greek capital, arrived as Athens and several other parts of Greece remained in lockdown due to a recent rise in coronavirus infections.

On balconies and in the streets, some Athenians emerged cautiously outside, snapping photos.

Some children skipped online classes on Tuesday to play in the snow.

Authorities have warned Athens residents, especially those living in northern and eastern suburbs of the city to avoid leaving their homes, particularly before 10 a.m. when the snowfall is forecast to ease.

The heavy snowfall has blanketed the Acropolis and other ancient monuments in Athens and halted COVID-19 vaccinations.

It also stopped most public transport services, while toppled trees caused blackouts in several mountainside suburbs.

Snow is common in Greece’s mountains and in the north of the country, but much rarer in the capital, particularly heavy snow.

The cold snap, which has already caused snowstorms around much of Europe, kept temperatures hovering around freezing in Athens on Tuesday but was expected to lift abruptly, with highs of 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit) expected on Thursday.