2020
Contents
Events
January
- January 7: PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump.
- January 22: Katerina Sakellaropoulou is elected to serve as the first female President of Greece.
- January 24: Fitch Ratings upgrades the credit ratings of Greece to BB (from BB-).
February
- February 24: The Athens Stock Exchange index crashes with a drop of 8.36%.
- February 26: Violent protests break out on the island of Lesbos over the proposed construction of new migrant camps.
- February 26: First person in Greece diagnosed with the Coronavirus.
- February 29: Turkey sends thousands of illegal migrants to the Greek border where they are met by riot police and army units.
March
- March 5: It is announced that, so far, 31 Greeks have been infected by the Coronavirus. At Rethymno, the local university closes for three days, due to a suspected case, while Panteios suspends classes for two.
- March 11: Schools and nurseries throughout Greece are closed for two weeks due to the Coronavirus.
- March 12: Greece reports its first fatality from a coronavirus infection: a 66-year-old man who had returned from a religious pilgrimage to Israel and Egypt at the end of February.
- March 13: Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as President of Greece.
- March 14: Two more people die in Greece from coronavirus infection, bringing the toll to three.
- March 20: The coronavirus infection claims its 10th victim in Greece. The latest victim is a woman - the previous nine were all men.
- March 21: An earthquake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, strikes Parga and the surrounding area.
April
May
- May 2: An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale strikes the seacoast south of Ierapetra, Crete, causing a mini-tsunami.
- May 4: Greece begins to ease the restrictions imposed because of the Covid19 virus. Small shops are now allowed to re-open.
- May 16: Four men die in a cave in Loutraki while searching for German World War II-loot.
June
- June 4: Haris Alexiou announces her retirement during an interview on the TV show “Katalili ora” due to persisting voice problems.
- June 16: PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis pays an official visit to Israel - his first since the outbreak of the Covid19 virus.
July
- July 22: A large wildfire breaks out in Corinthia prefecture.
- July 22: The death toll in Greece, from COVID-19, reaches 200.
- July 24: Church bells throughout Greece and Cyprus toll mournfully as Turkey converts Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
- July 30: Health authorities in Greece confirm 65 new COVID-19 cases, in the last 24 hours, marking the largest single-day increase in new cases since the lockdown ended.
August
September
- September 8: Fires destroy the migrant centre at Moria, Lesbos, leaving 13,000 migrants homeless.
- September 12: AEK sets a new negative record losing the Cupfinal for a fourth consecutive year in a row. Olympiakos wins 1-0.
- September 18: Storm Ianos brings much damage to the Ionian Islands.
- September 18: An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale strikes the island of Crete.
- September 19: Storm Ianos causes flooding in the Karditsa area whilst claiming three victims.
October
- October 7: After a trial lasting more than five years, the leadership of the Golden Dawn party is convicted of running a criminal organisation.
- October 11: Kostas Antetokounmpo is the first Greek to be crowned NBA Champion as the LA Lakers defeat Miami Heat in the Finals.
- October 12: Torrential rainfall causes flooding in Kefalonia and Kerkyra.
- October 13: Rainstorms cause much material damage in Nea Ionia, Neo Heraklio, Peristeri and other Athens suburbs.
- October 14: An Athens court sentences the top leaders of Golden Dawn - including Nikos Michaloliakos and Elias Kasidiaris - to 13 years imprisonment for running a criminal organisation.
- October 17: The number of deaths, due to Corona virus in Greece, reaches the 500 mark.
- October 30: A strong earthquake, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, strikes Samos causing two fatalities and much material damage.
November
- November 5: A new lockdown - due to Corona virus - is announced for Greece.
- November 6: Moody’s upgrades Greece’s credit rating by one notch, to Ba3 from B1.
- November 14: The number of deaths, due to COVID-19 in Greece, reaches the 1,000 mark.
December
- December 16: Greek-Nigerian superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, signs a record $228.2m deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Deaths
January
- January 5: Erika Breuer, actress
- January 17: Yiannis Michailidis, footballer
- January 31: Dimitris Papadopoulos, footballer
February
- February 26: Kostas Voutsas, comic actor
March
- March 1: Andreas Papaemmanouel, footballer
- March 24: Notis Tsintoglou, footballer
- March 30: Manolis Glezos, resistance fighter, politician
May
- May 1: Giorgos Zaimis, olympic sailor, gold medalist
- May 16: Gene Rossides, Greek-American political appointee and political lobbyist
June
- June 23: Nikos Alefantos, footballer and coach
July
- July 1: Christos Ambos, footballer
- July 10: Panagiotis Manias, basketball player
- July 22: Zacharias Haliabalias, footballer
- July 25: Thanasis Intzoglou, footballer
- July 28: Spyros Pomonis, footballer
August
- August 5: Agathon Iakovidis, musician
- August 17: Savvas Theodoridis, footballer
- August 23: Yiannis Poulopoulos, singer
September
- September 9: George Bizos, Greek-South African civil rights lawyer
- September 9: Nikos Yialamas, footballer
November
- November 16: Antonis Georgiadis, footballer and coach
December
- December 6: Paul Sarbanes, Greek-American politician