Guards at the Acropolis of Athens and other archaeological sites in Greece will suspend work for four hours from Thursday due to the extreme heat being felt in the country, their trade union PEYFA announced on Tuesday.
The measure will apply from 16:00 to 20:00 local time (14:00 to 18:00 in Lisbon), Thursday to Sunday.
In recent days, the guards have been working in “extreme conditions (…) with temperatures above 45ºC,” the union said.
“Given the problems we are facing (…), in particular (…) at the Acropolis, measures have been unanimously taken in recent days to protect the health of the guards (…) as well as the visitors,” the statement said. Panhellenic Union of Workers for the Protection of Archaeological Monuments.
Despite the holiday temperatures, “we tried to carry out the assigned tasks, ignoring the danger of the phenomenon,” the organization added, adding that “more than 20 visitors passed out” at the Acropolis in recent days.
On Friday, the Greek authorities decided to close the UNESCO World Heritage Site during the hottest hours of the day.
Last weekend, Greece was hit by the first heatwave of the year. On Thursday, the thermometer should again rise sharply, and on Friday and Saturday a maximum of 44ºC is expected in the center of the country.
Faced with heat felt in the Acropolis area, the Red Cross began handing out tens of thousands of water bottles on Thursday.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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