<p>ATHENS, Greece — Retail stores across most of Greece were allowed to reopen Monday despite an ongoing surge in COVID-19 infections, as the country battled to emerge from deep recession. </p>
<p>Stores in greater Athens opened for pick-up services only but remain closed in Greece’s second- and third-largest cities, Thessaloniki and Patras, due to fears of a more serious spike in infections.</p>
<p>Lockdown measures have been in force since early November, although shops opened briefly around the Christmas holiday season. The prolonged closures piled pressure on the economy. </p>
<p>Greek economic output shrank by 8.2% in 2020 while the national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product shot over 200%. </p>
<p>About 16% of the country’s residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccination but infection rates continue to rise. The center-right government has pinned its reopening policy on the mass distribution of test kits that will be provided for free on a weekly basis to help reopen schools, expected later this month, and the country’s vital tourism industry in mid-May. </p>
