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The Greek frontline workers in south-west Sydney helping multicultural communities in lockdown

The Greek Herald
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The Greek frontline workers in south-west Sydney helping multicultural communities in lockdown

By Andriana Simos and Argyro Vourdoumpa.

Pharmacist, Chris Vasili, arrives for work every day at Michael Vasili Chemist in Lakemba and instantly dons full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the form of a face shield, medical gown and gloves. He and his staff then start to serve regular customers from behind a Perspex screen.

Whilst this new normal is startling, these measures have been implemented as the chemist shop is situated in the Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA) – the current epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak which is spreading across western and south-western Sydney.

For Chris, it’s about putting the safety and wellbeing of his regular customers above the shop’s bottom line.

“It’s been a little bit of loss in business for over-the-counter, front-of-the-shop things, but our main focus is the hundreds of scripts we have on file, many who are Greek actually,” Chris tells The Greek Herald exclusively.

Michael Vasili Chemist in Lakemba.

“We have to put them first and obviously put the safety of the aged care facilities that we supply first. It was just one of those things that we had to take the loss, but it’s nothing in comparison to being shut down for 14 days by the health care department.”

With customers front of mind, the pharmacist has also continued to offer local medicine delivery. This service is something customers have really welcomed and utilised during the current strict lockdown.

“We’ve increased our local delivery tenfold. Before it was maybe like one or two [scripts] a day… now we’re probably at least 15 or 20 a day of local customers of ours who don’t want to go out, maybe their kids can’t travel to this area to get their medication, so we’ve been delivering that to them,” Chris explains.

Pharmacist, Chris Vasili.

The success of this delivery service leads The Greek Herald to ask Chris whether the chemist is also planning on taking appointments for the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines anytime soon.

Chris says although he has undertaken his COVID-19 vaccination training and the shop has been approved as a vaccination site, they have decided “to hold off on supplying it merely because we aren’t even letting customers in at the moment.” This, he adds, hasn’t stopped customers from asking about the vaccines and staff are able to provide them with accurate advice.

“Not only are they asking whether we do it, they’re also asking ‘is it safe.’ I might get this question like five times a day…” Chris says.

‘We want this to be over’:

It’s not surprising that Chris is regularly asked about the safety of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

According to Peter Doukas, who is the Chair of the Ethnic Communities Council of NSW (ECCNSW), the peak body of all culturally and linguistically diverse communities in NSW, there’s currently a lot of vaccine hesitancy in south-west and western Sydney due to vaccination messaging.

“There is a lot of negative media about vaccines and the multicultural communities we’ve dealt with – and the Greek community is not innocent of this – is that we get our media from the home country and from other Greek communities around the world, as well as Australia, and it’s not consistent,” Mr Doukas tells The Greek Herald.

“That affects people’s thoughts about vaccinations which then starts a cycle and we’ve seen this with many communities.”

Peter Doukas is the Chair of the Ethnic Communities Council of NSW.

Mr Doukas adds that on top of vaccine hesitancy, the NSW Government will also face several other challenges around developing a mental health plan and enforcing public health orders during the current lockdown.

“Communities have reacted relatively well so far but again, it’s been a difficult transition back into lockdown this year. Last year we had more good will and a lot more energy but now everyone has COVID fatigue and we want this to be over,” Mr Doukas says.

“What concerns me now, is obviously the healthcare related issues… It’s now a question of partly enforcement of health orders and secondly, it’s a question of how you deal with exemptions.

“Especially when you are dealing with areas and communities that often struggle to adapt to the public health orders because they have large families or family members who are essential workers and they bring the virus back home.”

‘I’m always cautious’:

Kypros Agathocleous is another one of these essential workers from the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA).

As a courier driver, his job sees him move around for work but as he lives in one of the eight LGA’s subjected to an Authorised Workers Order, he must have a COVID-19 test every three days.

Kypros Agathocleous is a courier driver from Liverpool.

“When they mentioned the Liverpool LGA was going into lockdown, my first thought was that I wouldn’t be able to go to work. There was a grey area with what they announced and it wasn’t clear,” Kypros tells The Greek Herald exclusively.

“I contacted the company that I work for and they informed me that I could continue working but had to get negative COVID tests.”

Since then, Kypros says he has been busier than ever as there has been a surge in home deliveries of small appliances and gift hampers.

“I’m doing contactless deliveries and pick ups, scanning QR codes and always wearing a mask. Customers can’t sign for the deliveries. Deliveries were authorised to leave with proof of delivery. With most of the deliveries I had to take a photo for proof of delivery,” he says.

It’s extra work but Kypros says he still feels lucky he is able to continue working while others are working from home or not working at all. For him, it’s all about looking after and continuing to provide for his wife and daughter.

“I’m always cautious with distance between people, always sanitise and wash my hands as it’s always at the back of your head, what if,” he concludes.

Double Taxation Agreement between Greece and Australia only a matter of time

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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Double Taxation Agreement between Greece and Australia only a matter of time

The issue of the non-existence of a Double Tax Agreement (DTA) between Greece and Australia continues to concern the community while questions arose from expatriates in relation to the actions carried out by the Greek authorities in this direction.

“The moves are coordinated and there have been positive developments,” said the Head of the Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs of Greece in Australia, Trade Commissioner, Katia Gkikiza, making it clear that both countries recognize the importance of the agreement as a means of strengthening business cooperation between them and stimulating bilateral economic and trade relations.

Trade Commissioner of Greece in Australia, Katia Gkikiza

“Greece has actively focused on efforts to reduce any remaining tax barriers within the country having introduced a series of measures such as tax reductions for individuals and businesses, tax incentives for investment, further digitization of tax services and modernization of the legal framework for corporate governance”, she stressed.

Ms Gkikiza also explained that in addition to efforts to improve the tax framework for businesses at national and international level, Greece and the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs have been actively promoting a cross-border trade with Australia and informing local businesses about trade and investment opportunities in Greece.

Part of Greece’s promotion strategy in Australia is a joint action with the EU Delegation to Australia on the EU – Australia Free Trade Agreement which is currently being negotiated.

Positive signs of an agreement in the near future

“There are currently 10 EU member states without a Double Taxation Agreement with Australia (including Greece). Since the launch of negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Australia, in June 2018, Greece has been working closely with the EU and the other nine member states in order to ensure that the issue of the Double Taxation Agreements is also addressed,” said Ms Gkikiza, clarifying that such agreements can be time-consuming.

“The Australian Federal Budget of October 2020 included an announcement to modernise and expand Australia’s tax treaty network with other countries,” Ms Gkikiza said, and clarified that Australia should negotiate separately with each of the EU member countries that do not have a double taxation agreement.

It is worth noting that in October 2020, the aforementioned ten EU member states co-signed a letter to the Australian Federal Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg asking him to prioritize the resolution of the issue of double taxation.

“Since then, we can confirm that there have been further positive developments. There has been an exchange of official correspondence between the two countries at the highest level, including letters between the two Prime Ministers, in December 2020, expressing mutual strong commitment to conclude a Double Taxation Agreement as soon as possible, and hopefully before the end of financial year 2021/2022,”said Ms Gkikiza.

Concluding, the Trade Commissioner assured the businesses and companies wishing to invest in Greece that “they can go on with their projects knowing that the Greek Government is fully committed to the conclusion of the Double Taxation Agreement.”

READ MORE: Greek and Australian Prime Ministers hold call to discuss COVID-19, vaccines and trade

Blood, Sweat and Happy Tears: Top six Greek moments from the Tokyo Olympics

Andriana Simos
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Blood, Sweat and Happy Tears: Top six Greek moments from the Tokyo Olympics

With the Tokyo Summer Olympics over for this year and the Paralympics set to begin in two weeks, The Greek Herald has decided to fill the gap in our television viewing with our top six Greek moments from this year’s Games.

1. The Opening and Closing Ceremony’s:

The was a strong Greek presence at both the Opening and Closing Ceremony’s of the Tokyo Olympics this year.

Greek flag bearers, Eleftherios Petrounias and Anna Korakaki, kicked off the Opening Ceremony as they proudly walked out first with the Greek flag, followed closely by the rest of the athletes.

Petrounias came out in a traditional black suit, while Korakaki and the other female athletes wore an elegant blue and white dress.

Greek flag raised at the Olympic closing ceremony.

READ MORE: Strong Greek and Australian presence at closing ceremony of Tokyo Olympics.

During the Closing Ceremony, the Greek flag was carried by the captain of the men’s national water polo team, Giannis Fountoulis.

As is tradition, the Greek flag flew proudly at the closing ceremony alongside the host country’s. The Greek National Anthem was also played loudly.

2. Greek rower, Stefanos Ntouskos, and long jumper, Miltiadis Tentoglou, win Olympic gold medals:

Stefanos Ntouskos from Greece beat an Olympic record and won gold in the men’s single sculls at Tokyo’s Sea Forest Waterway.

It was the first time Greece had ever won a gold medal in the rowing competition at the Olympics.

READ MORE: Greek rower Stefanos Ntouskos wins Tokyo Olympics gold in men’s single sculls.

Greek rower, Stefanos Ntouskos.

On his return to Ioannina in Greece, Stefanos was given a hero’s welcome as he did a victory lap around the city’s main square aboard an army Jeep, with a police motorcycle escort.

Ntouskos was also crowned with an olive wreath by Epirus Regional Governor, Alexandros Kachrimanis, and congratulated for this performance in the Tokyo Games by Ioannina Mayor, Moisis Elisaf.

READ MORE: Olympic Gold winner, Stefanos Ntouskos, given hero’s welcome in native Ioannina.

For his part, Miltiadis Tentoglou won gold for Greece with his final effort in the men’s long jump.

He jumped 8.41 metres and was followed close behind by Juan Miguel Echeverria at 8.41m and Maykel Masso 8.21m.

READ MORE: Miltiadis Tentoglou wins Tokyo Olympics gold for Greece in the men’s long jump final.

3. Greece’s men’s water polo team win first-ever Olympic silver medal:

After a nail-biting men’s water polo final, Greece claimed its first ever Olympic silver medal after losing to Serbia 10-13.

Alexandros Papanastasiou of Greece reacts after scoring. Photo: Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes.

With five minutes to spare, Serbia scored two more goals and ultimately defended their Rio 2016 Olympic title in men’s water polo.

In the lead up to the gold medal match, Greece had won six of its seven games at Tokyo 2020, with the only exception a 6-6 draw against Italy in the preliminary round. 

READ MORE: Greece win first-ever Olympic silver medal in men’s water polo final.

4. Eleftherios Petrounias wins Olympic bronze medal:

Eleftherios Petrounias won a Tokyo Olympics bronze medal for Greece in the men’s rings final.

Petrounias with his coach. Photo: Reuters / Mike Blake.

His score of 15.200 saw him place third after Liu Yang from China claimed a gold medal with 15.500 and You Hao from China won silver with 15.300.

This was Petrounias’ second Olympic medal in his legendary career and Greece’s third medal during the Tokyo Olympics.

READ MORE: Eleftherios Petrounias wins Tokyo Olympics bronze medal in men’s rings final.

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari team up to play Aussies, Ashleigh Barty and John Peers:

Greek Australians watched on the tennis quarterfinal as they cheered on both Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas from Team Greece and Ashleigh Barty and John Peers from Team Australia.

Ultimately Sakkari and Tsitsipas were defeated by the Aussie duo, 6-4, 4-6, [10-6], but it was still a fun and nail-biting game to watch.

READ MORE: Sakkari and Tsitsipas defeated by Aussie duo in Tokyo Olympics quarterfinal.

6. Greek Australian athletes make us proud:

The Australian Olympic Committee had 472 athletes competing at the Tokyo Games this year and among them were five Greek Australians: Dylan Pierias (football), Alexandra Aristoteli (rhythmic gymnastics), Taylah Tsitsikronis (softball), Anthony Hrysanthos and Lea Yanitsas (both water polo).

READ MORE: Greek Australians among the 472 athletes to represent Australia at Tokyo Olympics.

All of these athletes made us proud as they played for Australia in their respective sports. Water polo players, Anthony and Lea, helped their teams to a number of victories as goalies.

Dimitri Petratos signs with hometown club Western Sydney Wanderers FC

The Greek Herald
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Dimitri Petratos signs with hometown club Western Sydney Wanderers FC

Western Sydney Wanderers FC have confirmed the loan signing of Dimitri Petratos for the upcoming A-League season.

Growing up in Blacktown, Petratos is set to play for the Wanderers for the first time in his career following a season spent at Saudi Arabian side Al-Wehda where he featured in 28 matches and scored 10 goals.

Raised in the heart of Western Sydney, Petratos played his junior football at grassroots club, Blacktown Demons, before kicking off his senior football at Penrith Nepean FC.

Petratos broke onto the A-League scene in 2010 and went on to make over 200 appearances in the competition with 42 goals to his name at clubs Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets.

The 28-year-old has frequented the Socceroos squad and last played in 2019 in a friendly against the Korea Republic, as well as going to Russia in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Petratos said he was proud to represent his hometown club for the first time in his career. 

“It’s exciting (to sign for the Wanderers) because I get to represent the place where I grew up in,” Petratos said.

“I’ve always wanted to play for the Wanderers but always something else popped up. So now it’s finally time for me to play for the team where I grew up. I’ll give my everything for the club.

“I’m not coming back to just be with my family and be in a comfort zone. I’m coming back to work hard. I want to win titles. I want to win the Grand Final. I want to come back and help the team achieve that stuff. 

“I’ll definitely have the support from my family. I’ve played once at Wanderland and they’ve built an amazing stadium and it was an exciting time when I played there.

Dimitri Petratos has frequented the Socceroos squad.

“So I’m looking forward to that being my home ground and I can’t wait to get out there.”

Petratos’ return to Western Sydney in the coming weeks is a homecoming that will see him not only reunite with his family in the region, but also some friends he’s made along the way of his career.

“I am long-time friends with Bernie (Ibini). It’s good to catch up and play with him again. We were friends in high school,” Petratos said.

“Steven Ugarkovic I played with for three years at Newcastle. We have a very good connection on the field.

“Terry Antonis, we are childhood family friends and we have known each other since we were five.

READ MORE: Western Sydney Wanderers FC: Terry Antonis returns, Johnny Koutroumbis signs deal.

“I’ve known Ramy (Najjarine) since he was 10 year’s old as he used to play with my brothers and he came to some of the Academy’s my father had back in the day. It will be good to catch up with him and help him out, he’s a young player with a lot of talent.”

Western Sydney Wanderers CEO, John Tsatsimas, welcomed Dimitri and his family to the club. 

“We welcome another Western Sydney boy back to the club for the 2021/22 season and we are excited to see what Dimi can bring to the club with his wealth of experience and leadership qualities,” Tsatsimas said.

“We wish him and his family a safe trip back to Australia and look forward to seeing him in the coming weeks.”

Head coach Carl Robinson said Dimi’s qualities will shine through at the Wanderers.

“First and foremost, Dimi is a fantastic person and someone any team is lucky to have in their dressing room and on the pitch,” Robinson said.

“Dimi has a great work ethic and understands what it takes to play in the A-League. He’s a naturally gifted footballer and will bring something special to our group of players which I am sure our fans and members will appreciate.

“We have a great deal of work to do, and we have a group that has grit and determination to get the job done on and off the pitch for this club.”

Source: Western Sydney Wanderers FC.

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

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

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke MP, has provided an update to representatives from multicultural communities on Monday afternoon about the Federal Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination roll-out and a potential travel bubble with Greece.

Minister Hawke was joined by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, and the Head of the Implementation and Primary Care Response and Chair of the Department’s CALD Communities COVID-19 Health Advisory Group, Dr Lucas de Toca.

Travel bubble with Greece:

During the video conference, Minister Hawke was asked by The Greek Herald about Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent discussion with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and whether a potential travel bubble between Greece and Australia was on the cards.

READ MORE: Greek and Australian Prime Ministers hold call to discuss COVID-19, vaccines and trade.

The Minister for Immigration stressed that while he understands the need for “a ray of hope” during this pandemic, a travel bubble with Greece will only be considered once Australia reaches a vaccination target of 80 percent.

(L-R) Dr Lucas de Toca, Professor Michael Kidd, Alex Hawke MP. Photo: The Greek Herald.

“In a sense, all countries are being considered for travel when we get to the right phase in the national roll out map that the Prime Minister has put together,” Minister Hawke said.

“I think it’s important to be frank about where we are at. For Phase C to happen, we need to get to the 80 percent vaccination target… and then we can transition to countries for travel.”

Minister Hawke added that the different vaccinations which are available to people around the world also needs to be considered before international travel is possible.

“Systems are being developed to recognise and deal with different vaccines, deal with travel. In the Australian Government, we’re investing heavily in border management and digital recognition of vaccinations so we can be ready to travel,” he said.

Rise in people getting vaccinated:

On the topic of vaccination, Professor Kidd said although vaccination rates differ between different multicultural groups and early concerns about blood clots from the AstraZeneca vaccine did lead to some hesitancy, the Federal Government has still seen a recent rise in people getting vaccinated.

“We have seen a real reversal of the hesitancy that we were seeing a few months ago. The number of people who are prepared to get a vaccine right now has gone up considerably,” the Deputy Chief Medical Officer said.

READ MORE: Dr Voutos and Dr Keramianakis join ‘culturally inclusive’ medical health centre in Bankstown.

“Some of that is related to more points of access for the vaccine with local General Practices, GP’s and their staff who speak the language of their patient populations, and pharmacies as well have been very important.”

There has been a rise in people getting vaccinated.

Professor Kidd then went on to give two important messages to multicultural communities about: (1) the need to get people aged 60 and over “vaccinated right now,” and (2) the need for aged care workers to have at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before September 27 otherwise they won’t be able to keep working in the health sector.

READ MORE: Dr James Giallussi helps convey COVID-19 messages to Sydney’s Greek community.

Support for small businesses in NSW:

Before the conclusion of the video conference, Minister was asked one final question regarding his thoughts on criticisms around the roll out of small business payments in New South Wales at the moment.

Minister Hawke acknowledged that it is “very unfair” some retail sectors are thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic while small businesses aren’t, and stressed that the NSW Government need to speed up the handing out of support payments.

“From a Federal Government’s point of view, we are paying 50 percent of the bill for the business support and that’s important, but the state is administering the payments at the moment and that will need to be brought forward,” Minister Hawke said.

“I know they’re doing their absolute best right now to get those payments processed, to get them done faster and to ensure that businesses get their money.”

This positive news comes as NSW recorded 356 new local COVID-19 infections today, the highest since the pandemic began, sparking fears of a lockdown extension and the closure of more small businesses.

Teachers in elite Sydney schools use private Pfizer hubs as those in hotspots remain at risk

The Greek Herald
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Teachers in elite Sydney schools use private Pfizer hubs as those in hotspots remain at risk

Some of Sydney’s private schools have been able to vaccinate their staff through internal programs, raising questions about the equity of the rollout as thousands of teachers in some of the city’s worst-hit areas remain unvaccinated and at risk.

According to The Australian, Pymble Ladies’ College on the upper north shore has set up a ­private clinic on-site, after a local GP sent an email to the principal offering to keep aside Pfizer doses so they could be given to all staff aged 40 to 59.

The school’s principal, Kate Hadwen, said she “jumped” at the opportunity to be given the doses from the doctor and was “really proud” to have been able to get them all done.

Pymble Ladies College is vaccinating staff in private Pfizer hubs.

“As far as we’re concerned, we’ve vaccinated staff as per the NSW guidelines and it has not been inequitable. It was just opportunistic for us to support the government’s movement to help get people vaccinated,” Ms Hadwen told The Australian.

They’re not alone. The Australian reports that schools such as Barker College in Hornsby, which is one of Sydney’s largest co-educational Anglican schools, and Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga have also offered private Pfizer vaccinations for staff.

Both of these schools have leaned on nearby medical centres to provide them with vital Pfizer vaccines.

NSW Teachers Federation President, Angelo Gavrielatos, criticised the schools’ private vaccination programs, saying many teachers in Sydney’s worst affected areas have still not been offered access to the vaccine.

Angelo Gavrielatos has criticised the private Pfizer hubs.

While vaccination rates per profession is not publicly available, data released last week shows the North Sydney and Hornsby area has the highest vaccination rates in Greater Sydney, with 52 per cent of adults having at least a first dose.

The epicentre of the outbreak in southwest Sydney has the lowest inoculation rate in NSW with just 14.7 per cent fully vaccinated.

Mr Gavrielatos said vaccination must be prioritised for teachers most at risk of catching the virus across all impacted local government areas, and called on the government to intervene against inequitable distribution.

Source: The Australian.

NSW Police push ahead with probe into Bill Papas and Forum Group

The Greek Herald
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NSW Police push ahead with probe into Bill Papas and Forum Group

NSW Police’s Financial Crimes Squad is pushing ahead with a probe into Forum Group founder Bill Papas as Westpac and two other banks attempt to claw back funds lost in a $400 million alleged fraud.

According to The Australian, NSW Police referred the inquiries to the Financial Crimes Squad in late July after authorities were earlier alerted to allegations of fraudulent activity linked to equipment leases.

“In July this year, police received a report of an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud against a financial organisation,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said, according to The Australian.

“Initial inquiries were conducted by North Shore Police Area Command before the matter was referred to the State Crime Command’s Financial Crimes Squad. Inquiries are continuing and no further information is available at this time.”

Westpac has reported its allegations to NSW Police, the banking regulator and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission as it pursues Forum and Mr Papas in the Federal Court.

READ MORE: ‘Extreme anxiety and panic attacks’: Bill Papas breaks silence on Westpac fraud allegations.

Last week, affidavits by Mr Papas were made public, revealing an empire of fast cars, houses and business interests spanning the globe.

Papas in Thessaloniki, Greece. Photo: Australian Financial Review Weekend.

Mr Papas has been in Greece since June. He failed to show up for a meeting in Perth in the middle of that month to meet management of WesTrac to explain alleged account irregularities.

He initially pledged to return to Australia before testing positive to COVID-19, and then requesting funds for a return plane ticket.

Westpac has initiated court action against Mr Papas in both Australia and New Zealand.

READ MORE: Westpac slams Bill Papas evidence, Sydney tycoon pleads for cash to fly to Australia.

Source: The Australian.

Stefanos Tsitsipas overtakes Rafael Nadal and climbs to World No.3 ranking

Andriana Simos
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Stefanos Tsitsipas overtakes Rafael Nadal and climbs to World No.3 ranking

Greek tennis star, Stefanos Tsitsipas, reached a career high on Monday, when he officially ranked among the top three tennis players in the world, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

The new ranking sees Tsitsipas overtake Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, in the World No.3 ranking.

Tsitsipas has won 4660 points in 2021, and Nadal could not follow that pace, winning two titles but failing to reach a Major final.

“Being at the ranking that I will be tomorrow, it is a huge motivation and a very good indication that I’ve done great so far,” Tsitsipas told ATP before the ranking announcement this morning.

“[I am] just generally blessed that I’ve put in so much work to make it to the top three, which [I would consider] quite a special milestone.”

Tsitsipas first cracked the Top 10 more than two years ago after a run to the Dubai final. But the Greek sees this accomplishment on another level.

“That [Top 10 breakthrough] was a great dream of mine being fulfilled. The top three is on its own, something completely different,” Tsitsipas said.

“My purpose of doing this is self-improvement and trying to become a better person through tennis, so it matters.”

The Greek will not stop pushing to improve, though.

“I wake up every single day with a goal: to get better. To get better with my tennis, to get better in the sport that I chose to follow in my life,” Tsitsipas said.

“I’m very happy I get to play that sport. I’m very happy that I get to inspire people doing what I do.”

Greek PM apologises over fire-fighting failures, approves funding for wildfire relief

The Greek Herald
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Greek PM apologises over fire-fighting failures, approves funding for wildfire relief

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, apologised on Monday “for any weaknesses” in containing the massive wildfires that have destroyed swathes of forest land and forced hundreds of people to evacuate numerous settlements over the past week.

“I completely understand the pain of our fellow citizens who saw their homes or property burning,” Mitsotakis said in a televised message, noting that the first priority was “to save lives.”

“It is obvious that the climate crisis is affecting the whole planet. With fires that last for days. That is the explanation, but not an excuse, or an alibi. We may have done everything that was humanly possible, but in many cases this did not seem to be enough in the unequal battle with nature.

“The extent of the destruction blackens our hearts, I apologise for the losses.”

READ MORE: ‘Our village is dead’: Fires continue to ravage Evia island, two firefighters in critical condition.

Mitsotakis said any failures in Greece’s firefighting response will be identified, those responsible will be held to account and people whose property was destroyed will be compensated.

He said 63 organised evacuations took place in the past few days while 586 fires broke out all around the country, which were made worse by the continuing heatwave.

Mitsotakis has been visiting areas of Greece impacted by the fires.

In the same message, he announced that he had approved a supplemental budget of 500 million euros ($587 million) to fund relief and compensation for people who have lost homes and property.

The Prime Minister will chair a cabinet meeting on Tuesday which will announce specific relief measures.

He also thanked countries that are assisting Greece with fire-fighters and equipment.

READ MORE: Greek diaspora in Australia and worldwide unite to assist wildfire devastated Greece.

In response to this apology, the SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance party called Mitsotakis “provocative” and “unrepentant.”

“Mitsotakis only apologised because his communication experts asked him to, but nobody understood why, since he himself doesn’t believe it” the party said in a statement.

“In the midst of a continuing tragedy the premier talked only about himself and his supposed successes, including the pandemic. Nothing was said about the collapse of the so-called executive state in the latest fires.”

Source: Ekathimerini.

‘Our village is dead’: Fires continue to ravage Evia island, two firefighters in critical condition

The Greek Herald
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‘Our village is dead’: Fires continue to ravage Evia island, two firefighters in critical condition

Firefighters and residents battled into the night on Monday for a seventh day against a massive fire on Greece’s second-largest island, as the nation endured what the Prime Minister described as “a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions.”

Smoke and ash from Evia, a rugged island of forests and coves close to the Greek mainland, blocked out the sun and turned the sky orange.

The fire, which began August 3, is the most severe of hundreds in the past week across Greece, gobbling up pristine pine forests as well as homes and businesses and forcing thousands to quickly evacuate by sea to save their lives.

An elderly woman helped by paramedics, disembarks from a ferry which accommodated people, during a wildfire at Pefki village on Evia island. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Karadjias.

“We were completely forsaken. There were no fire brigades, there were no vehicles, nothing!” David Angelou, who had been in the seaside village of Pefki, said on Sunday night after leaving by ferry to the mainland.

“You could feel the enormous heat, there was also a lot of smoke. You could see the sun, a red ball, and then, nothing else around.”

Greek media reported that multiple previously extinguished fires had reignited on Evia on Monday and were moving at speed towards yet more villages and the 7,000-population town of Istaia.

A firefighter and locals rush to a burning house to extinguish forest fires that are approaching Pefki village, Evia. Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP / Getty Images.

“Our main income comes from tourism and now our village is dead. Who wants to have their vacations on a scorched ground?” local Evia resident, Dimitra, told Al Jazeera.

Other big wildfires were still burning Monday in Greece’s southern Peloponnese region as well.

Over the past week, hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed or damaged, and at least 40,000 hectares (nearly 100,000 acres) have been burned. Power cuts on Monday affected at least 17,000 households.

Greek firefighting forces have been clearly overwhelmed, prompting two dozen countries to send help. Nine planes, nearly 1,000 firefighters and 200 vehicles have been dispatched to Greece by France, Cyprus, Sweden, Spain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Romania, with Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia making further offers to help over the weekend.

Firefighters operate at Ellinika village on Evia island. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Karadjias.

The causes of the blazes are as yet undetermined, though several people have been arrested for alleged arson. Greece’s top prosecutor has ordered an investigation into whether the high number of fires could be linked to criminal activity.

Two volunteer firefighters in critical condition:

The two volunteer firefighters aged 55 and 53, who were rushed to the KAT hospital in Athens on Friday, remained in critical condition on Monday.

According to a medical announcement, the two men have extensive burns and severe respiratory issues and were on mechanical ventilators in the intensive care unit.

Two other volunteer forest firefighters, 57 and 33, who suffered burns to their upper limbs, were being treated in the Plastic Surgery Burns Unit in stable condition.

Moreover, a 32-year-old Israeli firefighter was admitted earlier in the morning yesterday to the ICU at the Sismanogleio Hospital in Athens with an eyelid injury. He was given first aid and returned to the Afidnes area, where a group of firefighters from Israel is operating.

In addition, a 38-year-old man from Ilia was being treated at a hospital in Patra, western Greece after an object got lodged in his eye as he struggled to put out the fires.

Source: AP News, Ekathimerini.

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