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

The Greek passport (for Aussies) debacle: Part One

For quite a while now, I've been hearing complaints from Greek Australians about long delays in obtaining a Greek passport.

Harry Mavrolefteros’ First Education wins ‘Business of the Decade’ at National Awards

First Education, founded by Harry Mavrolefteros, was awarded 'Business of the Decade' at the 2025 Australian Small Business Champion Awards.

Little Legs Foundation sets monopoly World Record in memory of Alegra Vasiliou

The Little Legs Foundation officially set a new Guinness World Record for the most people playing Monopoly in a single venue.

Hellenic Medical Society of Australia’s Careers Day returns to inspire students

The Hellenic Medical Society of Australia invite all year 9-12 students to attend the HMSA ‘Pathways to Success’ Careers Day.

Melbourne man charged for impersonating police officer and assaulting families

Franesko Vamvakaris appeared in Ringwood Magistrates Court on Monday, facing charges of impersonating a police officer and unlawful assault.

You May Also Like

Ancient Greek sites virtually reconstructed using new app

Tourists visiting Greece this holiday season have experienced archaeological sites through the lens of a new app called ‘Chronos’.

Mikis Theodorakis, Dimitris Basis and ‘The Ballad of the Dead Brother’

The recent tour of Australia by Dimitris Basis saw audiences experience Mikis Theodorakis', the Ballad of the Dead Brother.

My first Thanksgiving as a Greek Australian visiting America

I never in my life thought I would be in New York City celebrating Thanksgiving, but here I am. Evelyn Karatzas shares her story.