Staff Writer
Greece announced on Thursday that due to a recent heatwave, archaeological monuments, including the Acropolis, will be closed during the warmest hours of the day.
The country is bracing itself for further extreme heat through Sunday, with maximum of 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) predicted for the country’s center on Thursday.
According to Greece’s cultural ministry, “due to high temperatures, the schedules of archaeological sites…will be modified and (the sites) will close from noon to 5:30 pm (0900-1430 GMT)”.
Additionally, from Thursday through Sunday, the site will be closed until the end of the day due to a previously announced work stoppage by Acropolis security officers.
The guards’ union asserted that the site’s sometimes-sweltering 45C temperatures were to blame for at least 20 tourists passing out.
The World Heritage Site was already closed last weekend during the hottest hours despite the current spike of visitors.
Firefighters were still battling the thousands of hectare-sized wildfires west of Athens when Greece announced the limits.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cautioned, “We still have a heatwave and strong winds ahead of us, the hard times haven’t passed yet, and we need to be on alert.”
