Greek PM: “Let philotimo be our national vaccine” against coronavirus

·

Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Wednesday sent a message against careless behavior and complacency in regard to the COVID-19 preventative measures, while stressing the importance of wearing masks.

The Prime Minister led a teleconference with key officials on the assessment of the coronavirus pandemic, in light of the alarming increase in cases in the past few days.

“We must reactivate our national vaccine, which is nothing more than our philotimo, and together we must adhere to the measures proposed by the experts,” Mitsotakis stated during the teleconference.

The Prime Minister underlined that Greece is at a crucial point as “we can see a significant increase of positive cases but one which is, however, substantially different from the first wave and this is something that troubles and worries us.”

Greece’s Prime Minister led a teleconference with key officials on the assessment of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mitsotakis attributed this recent rise in infections to the fact that his countrymen have let their guard down, easing up on the preventive measures they so dutifully followed during the first months of the pandemic.

“The increase in cases is mainly due to the relaxation of compliance measures within our country in July. And in that I believe we all are responsible. Only ten percent of cases are imported; most cases at the moment are domestic,” he said.

Mitsotakis added that, at this stage, it was unclear how long people will be obliged to live with the coronavirus but ‘complacency is not justified.’

“We had stated in a very clear way… that the plan for the next day is not a plan to get out of the health and financial crisis, nor is it a simple plan to return to some normalcy,” the Prime Minister said.

“Normality as we knew it until February, and until the scientific community discovers the coveted vaccine and the necessary treatment protocols, does not exist. That is why no complacency is justified.”

The Greek leader concluded by stressing once again the importance of wearing a mask in enclosed spaces and even in outdoor places where social distancing is impossible.

“We all wear masks indoors but (we should) also in open spaces where it is not possible to keep the necessary distances. The mask must now become our permanent companion, like our keys, our sunglasses, our cell phone. We avoid mass gatherings and entertainment in places with large crowds.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Magna Graecia – Part 4: From Colony to Colossus: Syracuse and Hellenism in Sicily

Syracuse (in present-day Sicily) was founded in 734 BCE by settlers from Corinth and Tenea, led by their oikist (founder), Archias.

Scam no more: Protecting what’s most important with Evan Frangos

Hailing from Ikaria, Greece, Evan is also a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator, specialising in recovering funds lost to scams and hacks.

Upcoming Sydney lecture will explore the Greek Civil War in Greek literature

The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) will delve into the history of the Greek Civil War as presented in Greek literature.

Greek olive oil in Japan: Health, heritage and authenticity

At the Olive Japan International Olive Oil Competition, Greek olive oils earned 12 Gold Medals and 36 Silvers.

The Greek island tourists haven’t overrun

Unlike Santorini, which draws up to 3.4 million visitors annually, the island of Kea remains largely under the radar.

You May Also Like

‘A ray of hope’: Alex Hawke MP discusses potential travel bubble between Australia and Greece

Alex Hawke MP has spoken to multicultural communities about the Federal Government's response to COVID-19 and a travel bubble with Greece.

Stephanie Kokkolis replaces controversial Mayor in Sydney’s inner west

Controversial Strathfield Mayor, Antoine Doueihi, has been replaced by Stephanie Kokkolis for a short three month term.

Acquitted Irishmen leave Australia after being accused of murdering Paul Tavelardis

Two Irishmen were found not-guilty on Monday of the murder of Paul Tavelardis, who died nearly two years ago in Sydney's inner West.