Gatherings and the march for the anniversary of the Polytechnic may have been banned for reasons of public health due to the coronavirus, but authorities have police have taken all the steps to prevent any potential problems that may arise in downtown Athens.

Nearly 5,000 police officers, including special riot police units (MAT), have been deployed all across central streets and alleys, while Crime Suppression Prevention Units (OPKE) have also been dispersed in many key points. Drones will be surveilling the areas surrounding the Polytechnic.

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From 12 noon by order of the Hellenic Police (EL.AS) the metro stations will be closed at the following stations: Omonia, Syntagma, Panepistimio, Evangelismos, and Megaron Music Hall. All trolley lines passing through Patission Street will be diverted.

Police officers will be checking groups that arrive either by car, motorbike, or public transport in the centre and are considered suspicious, while no road except Patision in front of the Polytechnic will be closed. The measure of up to 4-people per group due to the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus will not exclude official delegations of the parties planning to reach the area.

The banning of public gathering and participation in the annual march towards the U.S Embassy sparked a heated debate between the opposition parties and the government, with major opposition party SYRIZA accusing the authorities of acting in an authoritarian manner.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for a more subdued celebration of the anniversary of the bloody 1973 student uprising that helped topple Greece’s then-military junta to protect public health amid a spike in coronavirus infections