Greece ordered a three-week nationwide lockdown Thursday to help contain a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

The country's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the new restrictions will come into effect Saturday, Nov. 7.

"I've chosen to take drastic measures sooner rather than later," Mitsotakis said.

The main difference between this lockdown and the one Greece imposed in the spring is that kindergartens and primary schools will remain open. High schools will operate by remote learning.

The lockdown goes until Nov. 30. Residents will only be able to leave their homes for specific reasons such as work, medical appointments or exercise, and after informing authorities by text message.

Retail businesses will be shut down but not supermarkets and food stores. Restaurants will operate on a delivery-only basis.

The country has reported fewer cases than most in Europe mainly due to an early nationwide lockdown it imposed when the pandemic broke out in February. It started unwinding restrictions in May. But since early October it has seen a surge in infections and has been reimposing curbs.

Greece registered 2,646 infections Wednesday, the highest daily tally since its first case surfaced, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 46,892. So far, 673 people have died of the disease.