ATHENS – Greek health authorities suspended on Tuesday the vaccine rollout in the Attica region, which includes the capital Athens, due to persistent adverse weather blown in by a cold front.

The conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had initially halted the program until 10:30 am, but later scrapped the rollout for all of Tuesday.

Ahead of the cold snap, authorities outlined a contingency plan to clear snow from health centers and ready firefighting services to transport patients to vaccine centers, but the focus lay mainly on rural zones rather than Athens city.

Health officials in Attica were asked not to leave home before 10:00 am as traffic was brought to a standstill due to heavy snow.

Emergency services have received non-stop calls from drivers stranded on snowy roads, often due to not using snow chains, which are mandatory in all Athens suburbs and even some parts of the city center.