Heatwave poses big challenge for Greece’s delivery workers

Athens: Yannis Asimakopoulos has worked as a food delivery driver in Athens for 17 years and cannot recall a hotter summer as a new heatwave gripped Greece this week.

Authorities shut all archaeological sites in Athens for a second consecutive day on Thursday and restricted outdoor work as the country sizzled under its second heatwave of the summer.

Thermal cameras have recorded temperatures of about 70 Celsius (158 Fahrenheit) on the road surface, but delivery drivers on their scooters are still needed.

“Driving is really hard. You have to wear a helmet, the lens of the helmet fogs up from the sweat. You have to stop all the time, the tyres melt faster, the street is slippery, the conditions in general are really difficult,” Asimakopoulos said after the end of his shift at noon.

“Every year I see a huge difference in the temperature. I see a rise and it lasts longer. Before it was two or three days,” he added.

As with many countries in Europe, Greece has repeatedly seen high temperatures disrupt daily activities since June, and hundreds of wildfires have broken out following the warmest winter on record that scientists link to global climate change.

This year Greece recorded its warmest-ever winter. June was also the hottest on record and the current heatwave is forecast to be the country’s longest ever, said Kostas Lagouvardos, research director of the national observatory.

The government has ordered some businesses not to let their employees perform heavy outdoor duty from midday until 5 pm (0900 GMT to 1400 GMT) this week as the mercury is expected to reach 42 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) in parts of the country.

For many delivery workers, that is not an option, Asimakopoulos said.

“Many people… who need more money for their families will continue to work, and the employers will exploit this.”

More than 20,000 drivers deliver food, beverages and other goods in Athens. Their unions are demanding the restriction in working hours to apply when temperature reaches 38 Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit), not 40 or higher.

In some areas, even the lowest temperature recorded was already 30 degrees Celsius, increasing the impact of heat stress on humans, Lagouvardos said, adding: “There is no hour in the day to feel better.”