Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday declared a night curfew in Athens, Thessaloniki and other areas to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, AFP reports.

“We aim to reduce circulation and night gatherings that favour the spread of the virus,” Mitsotakis said in a televised address, in which he also announced the “compulsory” use of masks both indoors and outdoors in the worst-hit areas.

“The mask is the vaccine before the vaccine (arrives),” the PM said.

The curfew from 12:30am to 5am that comes into force on Saturday was announced after a record 882 new infections and 15 deaths were earlier announced by the state health agency.

“We've seen a sudden increase in cases in recent days,” Mitsotakis said, a trend he partially attributed to additional testing.

The PM said the measures were applicable to areas with “dangerous” case increases.