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Greek PM outlines new financial aid plan to kick-start the economy

Andriana Simos
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Greek PM outlines new financial aid plan to kick-start the economy

Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has announced a plan to kick-start the Greek economy with a 24 billion euro program aimed at businesses and employees recovering from the coronavirus lockdown.

The new program will involve targeted tax cuts including, but not limited to, a reduction of value-added tax on transport, coffee, tourist packages and cinemas from 24 percent to 13 percent until October 31.

“In the coming months, we need to demonstrate the same maturity and discipline as we did during the lockdown. I never hid the fact that the fight for life will have a heavy economic impact,” Mitsotakis said in a televised address.

Moreover, Mitsotakis stressed that worker salaries in the tourism, catering and industrial sectors will also be subsidised through the European Union’s SURE program, from which Greece expects to receive a total amount in excess of 1.4 billion euros.

Following on from the Prime Minister’s address, the Greek Finance Minister, Christos Staikouras, released a detailed list of the measures included in the new program. They include:

  • Expansion of a measure to put workers’ contracts under suspension, payment of compensation and covering social insurance contributions (in the sectors of tourism, restaurant, transport, culture and sports).
  • A new mechanism to support short-term employment is being created to preserve job positions and support business activity.
  • Offering unemployment benefits to seasonal workers who will be employed during this tourist season, along with subsidising social insurance contributions for seasonal part-time workers.
  • Suspension of payment of debt tranches to the tax agency for all enterprises which remain closed, along with the sectors of tourism, restaurant, transport, culture and sports, for June.
  • Expanding a measure for 40 percent reduction of rent payments in June for all enterprises remaining closed, along with the sectors of tourism, restaurant, culture and sports. This measure also applies to individuals for their primary residence and to students.
  • For real estate owners, leasing their assets to enterprises and workers hit by the crisis, a suspension of tax payments is offered.
  • Enterprises will be offered a second round of refundable advance payment.
  • The government is offering a reduction of advance tax payments for 2020 and 2021 to enterprises hit by the crisis.
  • Reducing VAT on transport, coffee, beverages, tourist packages and cinema tickets for the period June 1-October 31, 2020.
  • Tax deduction of spending on scientific and technological research.
  • Creation of a National Registry of Startup Businesses.
  • Creation of a program that will subsidise primary residence borrowers hit by the pandemic.

Staikouras concluded his statement by announcing that the fourth phase of Greece’s economic plan will begin in September.

READ MORE: Greek economy hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, EU says.

79th anniversary of the Battle of Crete commemorated with a small but moving ceremony

Andriana Simos
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79th anniversary of the Battle of Crete commemorated with a small but moving ceremony

The Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand in conjunction with the Battle of Crete & Greece Commemorative Council hosted a small yet symbolic ceremony yesterday to honour those Greek, Australian and New Zealand men and women who served with distinction during the Battle of Crete.

Held at Melbourne’s Australian Hellenic Memorial, only 10 people could attend the ceremony due to COVID-19 restrictions, however, everyone’s thoughts and prayers were with the Cretan people on the day as people remembered what they had endured in 1941 during the battle.

The President of the Cretan Youth of Australia & New Zealand, Ms Polina Nikolakakis, had the role of master of ceremonies and welcomed everyone for attending even at such short notice. The Consul General of Greece, Mr Dimitris Mihalopoulos, conveyed his brief symbolic message to the small group.

The Battle of Crete was commemorated yesterday at Melbourne’s Australian Hellenic Memorial.

The memorial service was conducted by Archpiscopal Vicar, Very Reverend Father Evmenios Vasilopoulos, assisted by his Deacon f. Georgios Vrionis, who conducted the Trisagion.

Wreaths were laid in memory and with gratitude to the fallen ANZACS and Cretans who fought heroically in the name of freedom and democracy defending the island of Crete.

These wreaths were laid by: the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne Mr. Dimitris Mihalopoulos, the President of the Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand Mr. Antonis Tsourdalakis, the President of the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne Mr. Michael Houdalakis, the President of the Pancretan Association of Melbourne Mr. John Nikolakakis, the Secretary of the Battle of Crete & Greece Commemorative Council Mrs. Natasha Spanos, the Chairman of the Australian Hellenic Memorial Foundation Mr. Steve Kyritsis and the President of the Cretan Youth of Australia & New Zealand Ms. Polina Nikolakakis.

The ceremony concluded with the reciting of the ode by war veteran Steve Kyritsis and the playing of the Greek and Australian national anthems.

READ MORE: May 20: Commemorating the Battle of Crete.

Only a limited number of people were allowed to attend the memorial service.

Wreath Laying – Shrine of Remembrance:

On Sunday 24th of May, at 11 am, a wreath laying ceremony will be held for the ANZACS of the Battle of Crete at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. The wreath will be laid by the Military Guard of the Monument (Shrine Guards) on behalf of the Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand inside the cenotaph of the Shrine of Remembrance. The Greek flag will wave on the central masts. You can watch the ceremony live on the day here.

National Art Competition:

The Cretan Youth of Australia & New Zealand have announced the Annual National Art Competition to commemorate the Battle of Crete. Participants are encouraged to research the Battle of Crete and portray a scene or an iconic image of the battle, including the ANZAC involvement. Participants can be as creative as possible, using any form of handmade art. Artworks must be anonymous. Please attach your name and details within the email but not on the artwork. Entries from previous years are not permitted to be re-submitted. All works need to be sent through to the email address cretanyouthausnz@gmail.com by the 24th May to be included in the competition. Any queries please contact the National Youth President, Ms Polina Nikolakakis.

Program for 2021:

The Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand has already started planning the events for the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Crete in 2021, both here in Australia & New Zealand but also in Athens and Crete.

The events for the Battle of Crete in 2021 in Australia will take place in April. Anyone who wants to participate to the trip to Greece for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Crete please contact the Federation Council through email president@cretan.com.au or call on 0419856736.

Greece reacts to Turkish Foreign Ministry statement on Greek Pontian genocide

Andriana Simos
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Greece reacts to Turkish Foreign Ministry statement on Greek Pontian genocide

Athens has accused Ankara of trying to “fabricate history” after the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing comments by the Greek political class on the anniversary of the Greek Pontian genocide.

A war of words:

To mark the anniversary of the Greek Pontian genocide on May 19, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis released a statement which read: “A century ago, the Pontian Greeks became the victims of an unprecedented atrocity. They were persecuted, displaced, and exterminated. Those who survived left behind their ancestral homes to rise up again in the motherland.”

However, the Turkish Foreign Ministry was quick to slam the Greek government with its own statement reading: “On such a day, the baseless and delirious statements made by the Greek parliament and institutions under the pretext of marking the anniversary of May 19, 1919 does not accord with historical facts or values of the 21st century. It is another proof that irresponsible politicians and radicals are trying to reverse history today.”

This is not the first time Turkey has issued such a denial of the Greek Pontian genocide. In fact, Turkey has inexplicably denied it committed a systematic genocide against its Pontian, Armenian and Assyrian minorities for almost 90 years – despite hundreds of books by genocide scholars, tons of archival documents, eyewitness accounts and diplomatic reports saying otherwise.

Hence, it’s no surprise that the Greek Foreign Ministry had the final say, with the release of a statement on Wednesday accusing Turkey of “fabricating history” and offering some well-meaning advice.

“Historical truth, self-criticism and the forsaking of revisionism are conditions for [holding] a well-meaning dialogue and fighting the extremities of nationalism, for the reconciliation of people and states and their peaceful coexistence.”

There has been no response yet from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Greece will open to tourists on July 1 with no prior COVID-19 test required

Andriana Simos
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Greece will open to tourists on July 1 with no prior COVID-19 test required

Greece’s long-awaited tourist season will officially begin on June 15 with the opening of seasonal hotels, while international flights will begin heading directly for holiday destinations as of July 1, the government said on Wednesday.

In an address to the nation, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said tourists will be allowed to enter Greece without taking a coronavirus test or remaining in quarantine, but health officials will conduct spot tests when required.

“Our visitors will undergo test sampling and our general health protocols will be observed, which will not overshadow, however, either our bright sun or the natural beauty of Greece,” Mitsotakis said.

“Our weapon is the passport of security, reliability and health that our country has won. Its great fame. The shield of health in every place of hospitality. And of course, the passion of the Greek who is always inspired by the hospitality of the Greek god of Zeus.”

Elaborating on Mitsotakis’ announcement, Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis said flights will initially only land in Athens’ International Airport when services resume on June 15 but will eventually extend to all the airports as of July 1.

“The first tourists will be from countries where epidemiological data is encouraging such as the Balkans (Bulgaria) and countries in northern Europe, such as Germany,” Theoharis said.

Theoharis also stressed authorities will boost the healthcare capacity of several tourist destinations by providing tests and doctors, as well as an operational plan for the handling of possible infections (a hotel doctor, quarantine areas and transfer to a health facility).

READ MORE: Strict new rules for hotels in Greece as they prepare to reopen on June 1.

Adelaide food blogger on a mission to make Greek cooking fun and accessible

The Greek Herald
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Adelaide food blogger on a mission to make Greek cooking fun and accessible

By Argyro Vourdoumpa

In Greek culture, food is so much more than sustenance – it’s about history, culture, comfort, family and life itself. It’s also a great way to connect generations past and present.

Christina Panagopoulos, an Adelaide based food blogger and marketing professional, learnt to cook from her mum, mother-in-law and the cookbooks she has been gifted. But she knew that this wouldn’t be the case for her kids.

For the last two years, she has been building her online cookbook in an effort to make Greek cooking fun and accessible for the future generations of Greek Australians.

Growing up Greek in Australia:

After they got married in Greece, Christina’s parents came to Australia hoping for a better life. They made Adelaide their home and started a family.

“My memories were growing up with a strong sense of Greek culture. We attended Greek School, our local Greek Orthodox Church, had regular name day and birthday parties with our relatives in Adelaide, attended Greek dances and ate Greek food. We lived a Greek way of life,” says Christina.

“Greek music was also huge in my household, especially for my Dad who loved his traditional “tsamiko” music from his village in Arcadia, called “Psari.” My parents worked hard to ensure we got a good education, something that they were very passionate about. I also remember my father religiously buying The Greek Herald newspaper. It was his connection with all things Greek.”

George Stamatopoulos, 73, has been reading The Greek Herald for more than two decades.

Christina and her ‘Pieces of Greece’:

Although Christina did not particularly enjoy cooking when she was younger, she found herself going back to her mother’s Greek cooking lessons when she got married and started her own family.

“When I got married, those Greek cooking lessons suddenly became something that I sought. I drew on her knowledge, my mother-in-law’s knowledge and the cookbooks I had been gifted. I started enjoying Greek cooking and feeling passionate about it,” she says.

As her family grew, Christina started thinking about the legacy she would leave behind and how she could make it possible for her kids to learn more about and appreciate their background.

This is when the idea for her online food blog ‘Pieces of Greece’ was born.

Greek Australian food blogger Christina Panagopoulos.

Making Greek Heritage learning fun:

“Social media is a very powerful tool that has the ability to bring people together. I hope that one day, my children will embrace and connect with the footprints that I leave on Pieces of Greece and perhaps even continue that narrative,” Christina told The Greek Herald.

Asking her how this generation can better engage with the next generation, she replied that we should try and engage “on their level” and find ways to make it more “appealing and fun.”

“Perhaps an area of improvement can be to not become victims of our lifestyles. We are so busy that we don’t attend Church every week; we don’t volunteer our time for the local Greek organisation like our parents did. If this continues, we may see the demise of Greek community tenets that our parents worked so hard to build,” Christina said.

“More and more young girls – especially newlyweds and new mums- are sending me messages that they want to learn to cook Greek. This makes me so happy. I love seeing their creations.”

View this post on Instagram

A G A P E In Greek, the highest form of love has a name: Agape. A selfless form of love, one which expects nothing in return, transcends regardless of circumstance. With Valentines Day being on Friday, a particular recipe came to mind. Rizogalo. Greek Rice Pudding. Presented in a jar, made by hand and given with agape (love), doesn’t this make the most perfect gift? INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup Arborio or Medium Grain rice 1 3/4 cups boiling water 4 cups milk 2 T cornstarch (optional) 1 t vanilla essence 1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste) Cinnamon METHOD 1. Thoroughly rinse rice in sieve under warm running water 2. In small saucepan, pour boiling water from kettle and add rice. 3. Stir, half cover and simmer over medium heat 12 mins or until rice has softened and soaked up the water. Stir regularly to ensure rice doesn’t stick to bottom of saucepan. 4. Meanwhile in large pot, pour in milk and cornflour (optional) and mix. Warm up milk over medium heat. 5. Pour cooked rice into large pot with warmed milk. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir constantly over medium heat 20 mins or until thickened. Important to stir throughout so rice doesn’t stick to bottom of pan. 6. Let cool slightly and dust with Cinnamon.

A post shared by Pieces of Greece (@pieces_of_greece) on

Try Christina’s Rizogalo Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup medium grain or Arborio rice
  • 1 ½ cups boiling water
  • 3 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • ¼ – ½ cup sugar (adjust to taste)
  • Cinnamon for dusting

Instructions:

  1. In sieve, thoroughly rinse rice under warm running water to remove starch
  2. Fill small saucepan with 1 ½ cups boiling water, pour-in rice.
  3. Stir, half cover with lid and simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes or until rice has cooked through and soaked up the water. Stir intermittently, to ensure rice doesn’t stick to base of saucepan.
  4. Meanwhile in a large pot, pour in milk, cornflour (optional) and stir. Warm up over medium heat.
  5. When milk has warmed, pour in cooked rice. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir constantly over medium heat for 15 minutes or until thickened.
  6. Pour into little bowls to serve, let it sit for 10 minutes and serve with ground cinnamon.  

Kali orexi!

MyHeritage releases three major collections of Greek historical records

Andriana Simos
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MyHeritage releases three major collections of Greek historical records

MyHeritage, the leading global service for discovering your past, has announced the release of three important Greek record collections: Greece, Electoral Rolls (1863–1924), Corfu Vital Records (1841–1932), and Sparta Marriages (1835–1935).

The collections comprise of 1.8 million historical Greek records in total, with all of them being searchable in English and Greek for the first time ever.

Chief Content Officer of MyHeritage, Russ Wilding, said the records will be an invaluable genealogy resource for family history enthusiasts who have Greek roots.

“As the cradle of western civilisation and a crossroads of continents and cultures, Greece is becoming a gem among MyHeritage’s historical record collections,” Wilding said in a press release.

“The records in these collections are rich in detail and have pan-European, Balkan, and Mediterranean significance. This will prove valuable both to novice researchers and experienced genealogists.”

While searching for all three of these Greek record collections is free, a subscription is required to view the full records and to access Record Matches.

The three different collections:

This collection consists of 1,006,594 records and provides nationwide coverage of males ages 21 and up who were eligible to vote. They list the voter’s given name, surname, father’s name, age, and occupation. Each record includes the individual’s name in Greek, and a Latinised transliteration of the name that follows the standard adopted by the Greek government. Scans of original electoral roll documents are also included.

646,807 birth, marriage, and death records are included in this collection. The records were collected by the civil authorities in Corfu and document the life events of all residents of the island regardless of their ethnicity or religion.

MyHeritage has released three new historical records for Greek people. Source: MyHeritage.

Birth records from this collection may contain the child’s given name and surname, birth date and place of birth, name and age of both parents, and the given names of the child’s grandfathers.

A marriage record from this collection may include the date of marriage, groom’s given name and surname, age, place of birth, residence, and his father’s name. Similar information is recorded about the bride and her father.

Death records may include the name of the deceased, date of death, age at death, place of birth, residence, and parents’ names.

This final collection consists of 179,411 records which include images of the couple’s marriage license and their listing in the marriage register.

The records in this collection list the full names of the bride and groom, the date of marriage, their fathers’ names, the birthplace of the bride and groom, and occasionally the names of witnesses to the marriage.

The images in this collection were photographed, digitised, and indexed by MyHeritage from the original paper documents, in cooperation with the Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta.

Microsoft acquires Greek tech giant Softomotive

The Greek Herald
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Microsoft acquires Greek tech giant Softomotive

During his Build keynote, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella today announced that the company has acquired Greek tech company Softomotive, a software robotic automation platform.

Nadella noted that Softomotive would become part of Microsoft’s Power Automate platform. “We’re bringing RPA — or robotic process automation to legacy apps and services with our acquisition of Softomotive,” Nadella said.

Softomotive currently serve roughly 9,000 customers around the world, making Microsofts acquisition the biggest acquisition of a Greek tech company to date.

Softomotive was founded in 2005 by Marios Stavropoulos and is today considered a pioneer in robotic process automation (RPA).

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella today announced that the company has acquired Greek tech company Softomotive. Photo: Google

“One of our most distinguishing characteristics, and an indelible part of our DNA, is an unswerving commitment to usability,” writes Softomotive CEO and co-founder Marios Stavropoulos.

“We have always believed in the notion of citizen developers and, since less than two percent of the world population can write code, we believe the greatest potential for both process improvement and overall innovation comes from business end users.”

While the two companies did not disclose the financial details of the transaction, sources say the price Microsoft is paying to buy out the Greek-owned firm is more than 100 million euros.

In Power Automate, Microsoft will use Softomotive’s tools to enable a number of new capabilities, including Softomotives low-code desktop automation solution WinAutomation. Until now, Power Automate did not feature any desktop automation tools.

It’ll also build Softomotive’s connectors for applications from SAP, as well as legacy terminal screens and Java, into its desktop automation experience and enable parallel execution and multitasking for UI automation.

“We are extremely excited to pursue this vision as part of Microsoft,” Marios Stavropoulos adds.

Peter V’landys lashes out at match officials for threatening to go on strike

The Greek Herald
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Peter V’landys lashes out at match officials for threatening to go on strike

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has expressed his anger at match officials, revealing that the NRL is facing up to $200,000 in legal costs to resolve a dispute over referee cuts.

The dispute is in response to the referees’ association disagreement with the decision to reduce the number of on-field referees from two to one ahead of next week’s season start date.

“We made an offer to the NRL with respect to helping them save some costs and a few other things, but they were rejected,” said the chairman of the Professional Rugby League Match Officials, Silvio Del Vecchio.

 The Fair Work Commission will rule on a dispute between referees and the NRL. Photo: Guardian News

The proposed industrial action, which includes threats to strike, has been branded “selfish” by V’landys — who remains adamant the switch from two referees will not only make the game more entertaining, but also improve officiating and save money.

“We were prepared to give them their request of 100 per cent … every participant group has been in the trenches with us except them. Everyone else in the game has taken a cut, the commission, the executive and the players but the referees don’t want to take a cut,” V’landys said.

The NRL also offered to review the new system once the season was over.

“We put an offer to them that we would review the situation at the end of the season and if the one referee didn’t work, we would revert back and they would be part of the working group looking into it,” the Greek Australian Chairman adds.

After losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, legal fees were the last place that V’landys wanted to see the money end up.

“This money could have saved some clubs in the bush or gone to junior rugby league,” V’landys said.

“They’re all struggling. The last thing the game needs right now is to be spending more money on lawyers. It could be more than $200,000.

“But we will fight on because what we are doing is in the best interests of rugby league and making it a better product.”

Greece, Croatia, Italy, and eight other EU States agree on joint ‘travel freedom’ strategy

The Greek Herald
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Greece, Croatia, Italy, and eight other EU States agree on joint ‘travel freedom’ strategy

Greece and ten other European Union member states have agreed on a set of principles to ensure the freedom of safe travel within the EU.

A joint statement was released on May 18 by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain following a video conference to agree on the coordinated restoration of the freedom of movement and travel in the European Union.

“Freedom of movement and travelling across Europe is a fundamental part of the European project,” the Ministers of Foreign Affairs said in the statement.

“Our goal is to restore free movement for all citizens, be it for professional, educational or merely private purposes, based on the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination.”

The restaurants and bars in Little Venice are packed around sunset. Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider

The EU states have agreed on four principles to ensure the safety of their citizens while engaging in continental travel:

– We believe that an approach of phased steps, coordinated and agreed among EU Member States, is the best way to achieve a gradual normalisation of cross-border travelling.

– Exploring ways of allowing travelling while avoiding that the risk of an increase in infections gets out of hand will be key.

– It will be crucial to ensure that our citizens cannot just travel freely within Europe, but can also safely return home. Thus, we need to coordinate closely regarding conditions for lifting rules of confinement and of quarantine and regarding the restoration of transport services. In this context, it will also be important to work on a common understanding of health-related standards and procedures.

– We believe the restoration of the freedom of cross-border movements can be achieved progressively, provided current positive trends continue leading to comparable epidemiological situations in countries of origin and of destination. The reopening of border-crossings including the situation of cross-border workers deserves specific attention.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs have called on tourism businesses and related private actors to take ‘appropriate precautionary measures’ to protect the safety of travellers once travel freedom is restored.

The statement also indicates the crucial component for “rebuilding public trust in the safety of traveling.”

Greece’s death toll currently stands at 165, which is one of the lowest in all the EU. Greece recently announced their entering into the third stage of lifting Covid-19 restrictions.

Greek medical students help keep COVID hospital up and running

The Greek Herald
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Greek medical students help keep COVID hospital up and running

More than a century ago, the Sotiria hospital in Athens was built as a public sanatorium for patients with a feared infectious disease that spread through coughing and killed indiscriminately — tuberculosis.

Now Greece’s main hospital for COVID-19 patients, it’s also the focus of a hands-on training program for dozens of medical students who volunteered to relieve hard-pressed doctors from simpler duties while gaining a close peek at the front lines as medical history is being made.

When the Sotiria — which means “salvation” in Greek — was designated to lead the country’s coronavirus response in March, medical staff quickly found themselves too busy to properly carry out ordinary duties at a major Athens hospital that treats all kinds of patients. That’s when two doctors and professors of medicine at Athens University thought of seeking help from volunteers.

  • In this photo taken on Thursday, May 7, 2020, internal medicine Charalambos Birbilis, right, examines a patient as medical students Afroditi Gerodimontaki, center, Michaella Alexandrou, left, and Dimitra Siakalli look on at the Pathological Clinic of Sotiria Hospital in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
  • In this photo taken on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, medical students watch internal medicine Katerina Bakiri, right, as she operates a minimally invasive procedure on a patient at the Pathological Clinic of Sotiria Hospital in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

The program was initially designed for graduates in medicine, but so many students, mostly in their final year, asked to join that it ended up running with them — 56 young men and women from Greek and Slovakian medical schools.

“They underwent rigorous training, and were assigned specific duties and peripheral jobs,” said Garyfallia Poulakou, an assistant professor and contagious disease expert who organised the two-month program together with Kostas Syrigos, a professor of medicine and medical oncology.

“Under no circumstances were they to enter the so-called Red Zone with the COVID-19 patients,” she said. “They proved to be fearless, and the experience for me was very, very positive.”

  • In this photo taken on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, Katerina Bakiri examines a patient as medical students Nikolaos Syrigos, left, Eleni Fyta, center, and Adamantia Papamichail look on at the Pathological Clinic of Sotiria Hospital in Athens. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
  • In this photo taken on Friday, May 8, 2020, ICU consultant Marios Karvouniaris, left, and internal medicine Agamemnon Bakakos, center, show medical students a CT of a patient at the COVID-19 Clinic of Sotiria Hospital in Athens.  (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

The students carry out mundane but necessary jobs at the hospital’s pathological clinic, such as attending minor operations, taking blood samples and handling paperwork. In the COVID-19 section, their duties included taking delivery of blood samples in the safe zone and talking to relatives who were not allowed in to see the patients.

Anna Karagiannakou, 21, a third-year student at Safarik University in Kosice, Slovakia, said she has gained vital insights into what being a doctor fully entails.

“Although I wasn’t allowed to help treat coronavirus patients, I saw this as an opportunity to provide assistance with other tasks and gain experience at a historic moment in crisis conditions, the like of which I may never encounter again,” she said.

Sourced By: Associated Press

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