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 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.

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