The reopening of schools in the Grava district of Athens was unanimously decided for the coming Monday (November 2). The decision was reached on Thursday afternoon (October 29) by the Athens City Council during an emergency session convened exclusively to address this issue. Mayor Haris Doukas proposed reopening the schools while keeping the natural gas supply shut off, allowing for all necessary safety inspections to be completed.
Grava schools: Reopening on Monday, November 2
In detail, the Mayor of Athens provided the Council with a comprehensive update on all inspections carried out to date by the gas company, the municipality, and the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE). He noted that none of the inspections had detected any gas leak, and that the municipal authority is awaiting a full technical study on the school facilities, which will incorporate all findings and recommendations from the three independent safety inspections.
In closing, he proposed reopening the schools on Monday with the gas supply remaining closed throughout November, with the goal of having the heating system operational by November 23 — or at the very latest by the end of the month — once any required works identified by the technical study have been completed and all safety guarantees for students and staff are in place.
Mayor Doukas’s statement
“Following these developments, my proposal to the City Council — given the full certainty of safety for both students and teachers, based on the expert assessments of three independent bodies and three analyses conducted by Enaon using the Picarro method — is to reopen the Grava school on Monday, November 2, with the natural gas supply remaining closed to the systems, which have already been purged to allow for the expert inspections. In other words, the systems are shut down and contain no gas. We will, of course, use the findings, recommendations, and conclusions of the expert assessments and technical inspections to bring the gas installation into compliance with the approved study throughout this period, with the goal of having the now-certified gas installation up and running by the end of November,” Mayor Doukas said in outlining his final proposal, adding:
“The school could technically reopen tomorrow, but we want to give the school community time to prepare, so that everyone can return calmly on Monday, November 2. We will be here every step of the way — ready to intervene, discuss, and consult as needed — right through to the end of November, when all the actions recommended by the expert assessments will also move forward. We will be here to talk it through, and I will bring back a full update along with the certifications so we can make the final joint decision to reopen the gas supply at the end of November.”
Gas company representative addresses the City Council
A representative of the gas supply company also participated in the City Council session and briefed the members accordingly. He reiterated that no leak had been detected in the gas network and that no work could begin before the technical study receives official approval. He stressed that the company had completed all preparatory work on its end, so that it would be ready to move forward as soon as the study is approved. Regarding the timeline, he said that the mayor’s target date of November 23 would also become the company’s target, though he acknowledged that at this stage he could not commit to such a precise date, as it may take slightly longer.
He also stated that once the works are carried out, a comprehensive inspection of the existing network will be conducted and any additional corrective measures will be taken if needed. “Once that is done, a pressure test and a new inspection will follow — and only then will the airtightness certificates be able to be signed,” he added in conclusion.
Representatives of parents and teachers spoke about the difficulties posed by remote learning and the urgent need for students to return to school, while reiterating that absolute safety must be guaranteed.
All political groups on the Council agreed that the schools must reopen, though several expressed reservations about whether safety could be fully assured. The head of the technical services department was called upon to address these concerns, and she confirmed: “All protocols have been followed, all necessary works have been carried out, and since the gas network is shut down, the schools can operate safely.”
With this assurance, all political groups voted in favour of reopening the schools on the coming Monday (November 2), with the exception of the “Subversive Alliance” group, which abstained.
