For children in the Turner Ward at The Children’s Hospital in Westmead, having a cannula put in is about to become a little bit easier thanks to George Houssos and the Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Society of NSW Inc.
As President of the society, Mr Houssos presented a state-of-the-art AccuVein machine, valued at $7000, to nurses at the hospital on Monday.
The donation will help nurses better see a child’s veins before cannulation by using a special infrared light, and this will mean less cannulation attempts, less trauma, better vein health and an overall better experience for patients.
“For people with Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell, it’s life long blood transfusions and treatment. Their veins are constantly getting pierced and over time can get damaged,” Mr Houssos tells The Greek Herald.
“So protecting those veins is paramount… and this tool can help the nurses improve their accuracy.”
In a statement on Facebook, The Children’s Hospital thanked the society for its “generous and valuable donation,” and Mr Houssos says it was an honour to help out.
“Raising money for cures and treatments is a bit out of our reach. But being able to raise money and buy tactical equipment like this that is going to help staff day-to-day and help alleviate some anxiety and pain for patients on a daily basis, is fantastic,” Mr Houssos added.
“The nursing staff were over the moon and very happy.”
The Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Society of NSW Inc has been raising money for people who have thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, for the last 42 years.
You can read more about the fantastic work they do here.
The Sydney Morning Herald‘s media and telecommunications reporter, Zoe Samios, has been nominated for Young Journalist of the Year in this year’s NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
The Greek Australian will go up against two other finalists in the category, including Lauren Golman from A Current Affair and Joshua Hanrahan from Daily Mail Australia.
Zoe tells The Greek Herald exclusively that she was “surprised but honoured to be nominated.”
Congratulations to all our finalists! Such intense competition in a colossal news year. https://t.co/9Mn8HkYwNm
— NRMA Kennedy Awards (@kennedyawards) July 23, 2020
“I’m really surprised but honoured to be nominated for Young Journalist of The Year. I love writing and uncovering stories and journalism is a career where I get to do both,” Zoe tells The Greek Herald.
“It has been a big, fun first year working in newspapers and I am very privileged to have editors who have supported me and have helped me get to where I am today.”
Zoe has previously written for The Australian and Mumbrella.
Kennedy Foundation chairman and judge, Rocco Fazzari, said the judges were highly impressed with the calibre of entries this year.
“In a massive news year, the standard of submissions is exceptional in every category,” Fazzari said.
“From investigative journalism to news breaking, superb feature writing, incredible pictorial entries and wonderful artwork, a class field has emerged to contest the coveted Spirax trophies.”
On July 23, 1974, the seven-year dictatorship of Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos collapsed under the weight of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
The former Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis was invited to return. Huge crowds gathered to greet him at Athens airport and there was jubilation in the streets of the Greek capital to mark the beginning of a return to democracy.
Conservative Karamanlis, 67, was Prime Minister for an unprecedented eight years until the centre-left won power in the country’s last democratic election in 1963.
Former Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis arrived in Greece on July 24.
At the time, a spokesman for the Greek armed forces explained the junta’s decision to step down as “in view of the position in which the country finds itself.”
In the morning of July 24, Karamanlis was sworn in as Prime Minister by the Archbishop of Athens and in the presence of the President of the Republic, General Gizikis.
At noon of the same day, the first echelon of his government was sworn in, consisting of right-wing and center-right politicians.
In the morning of July 24, Karamanlis was sworn in as Prime Minister.
Immediately after, the first measures for the restoration of democracy were announced:
the abolition of the Gyaros camp.
The release of all prisoners.
The amnesty of all political crimes.
The return of citizenship to the citizens who had been deprived of it by the dictatorship of 1967.
In its immediate aims, the government included the restoration of democratic normalcy and the formation of a climate of national unity, the disorganisation of the dictatorship’s power grid and the restoration of political control in the army, the preparation for elections and the resolution of the crisis in Cyprus.
The official opening and blessing of All Saints
Grammar’s primary campus playground was a huge success today, with special
Greek dancing and choir performances from young school children.
The event started with a warm welcome from school captains, Michaela Margiankakos and John Vardakas, and was followed by the official unveiling and blessing of the space by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios.
Photos: The Greek Herald.
In a speech after the blessing, Head of School, Elfa Lillis, said the new space will be used to practice and preserve the faith and values of All Saints.
According to Ms Lillis, the new extension cost $1.7 million and was funded by numerous donors.
Head of School, Elfa Lillis, gave a speech at the opening. Photos: The Greek Herald.
Member for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis MP, also attended the event,
Donors included The All Saints Parents Association
with $90,000, Peter and Stuart Englezos from Brobrik, Angelo Candalepas from
Candalepas Associates, George Giannaros from Carrington Electrical Services,
Nick Georgopoulos from Compass Certifications, and John Rafeletos from
Rafeletos & Zanuttini Engineering.
The event finished with a beautiful Greek dancing performance of the ‘Karagouna’ and ‘Kalamatiano.’ Students held handkerchiefs between them due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Photos: The Greek Herald.
Photos: The Greek Herald.
The primary choir also gave a special rendition of ‘Brave’ by Sara Bareilles, and His Eminence was gifted a special hand-drawn portrait by a student of All Saints, Perry Anastasopoulos, which His Eminence was extremely pleased with.
Other officials in attendance included Member for
Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis MP, Mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, Khal Asfour,
President of the Board of Directors, Steve Rafeletos, members of the Board of Directors,
and President of All Saints Parents Association, Helen Karavitis.
By George Vardas I Secretary, Australian Hellenic Council NSW I Member, Acropolis Research Group
“Owing to its historical significance, the conversion of the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul – a unique architectural monument – into a museum will gratify the entire Eastern World and will cause humanity to gain a new institution of knowledge” – Turkish Council of Ministers, 24 November 1934.
The imposing Church of Hagia
Sophia (Greek for Holy Wisdom) in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) is an
incredible monument that has anchored Byzantine and Ottoman empires over the
ages without ever losing its original Christian aura. Since 1935 it has operated as a museum for
the world where its architectural splendour and ornamental treasures could be
admired by all.
That all came to an abrupt halt
with the recent decision of the Council of State – Turkey’s highest court – to
re-convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque to satisfy the neo-Ottoman irredentist
fantasies of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s hardline President
In this article I seek to review the history behind the original conversion of Hagia Sophia into a museum and the Turkish Government’s oft-repeated claims of its commitment to preserving the heritage of the historic sites of Istanbul both at home and internationally. I conclude that this is nothing more than a crude, symbolic gesture aimed at Erdogan’s conservative Islamist base and does nothing to enhance Turkey’s reputation in protecting monuments, buildings and other landmarks of world cultural heritage significance.
Atatürk and the musealisation of Hagia Sophia as a “new institution of knowledge”:
The self-styled Founder of Modern
Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Pasha (later known as Atatürk), wanted to cut the last of the vestiges of the
country’s imperial and Islamic past when he founded the new republic as a secular
society. One of the first acts of the
new Republic was the opening of the Topkapı Palace, which had been the imperial
seat of Ottoman sultans for centuries, as a museum.
It was also around this time that
there was renewed interest in the hidden mosaics and other treasures of what
the Turks knew as AyaSofya. Although the
Hagia Sophia remained a functioning mosque International interest in this
Byzantine marvel continued in the early years of the Republic.
The debate as to its future began
in earnest after Thomas Whittemore, the head of the Byzantine Institute of
America, was granted permission in 1931 to undertake a restoration and
conservation project at Hagia Sophia including the uncovering and restoration
of the mosaics of Hagia Sophia. This
work and the revealed mosaics increased awareness about the historical
significance of the building.
Whittemore was later to write of
his dealings with Atatürk who took an
active interest in the restoration works:
“Santa Sophia was a mosque the day that I talked to him. The next
morning, when I went to the mosque, there was a sign on the door written in
Atatürk’s own hand. It said: ‘The museum is closed for repairs’”
On 25 August 1934, the Turkish Minister
of Education, Abidin Özmen, wrote to the Director of the Museums of Antiquities
in Istanbul directing him to start putting in place arrangements to convert the
mosque into a museum.
According to the recollection of Özmen as reported in the
Hagia Sophia visitor’s book, Atatürk explained his
intention to convert Hagia Sophia into a museum with the following words:
“It will be reasonable to convert it [Hagia Sophia] into
a museum, which will be open to the visits of all nations and religions rather
than letting it belong to a single religion and a single group, and it will
particularly be appropriate to collect the Byzantine works in this new museum.”
On 24 November 1934 the Turkish Council of Ministers finally
passed a decree, declaring:
“Owing to its historical significance, the conversion of the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul – a unique architectural monument – into a museum will gratify the entire Eastern World and will cause humanity to gain a new institution of knowledge.”
Hagia Sophia in 1935.
Hagia Sophia opened its doors in 1935 as a museum which
illuminated an equal stance towards all cultures and religions. It no longer represented the superiority of
Christianity over Islam or Islam over Christianity. It was a symbol of universal tolerance and
understanding of the great cultures that had passed through its great doors
over the centuries.
UNESCO World Heritage List and the Historic Areas of Istanbul:
For years Turkey was keen to get
the city of Istanbul on the World Heritage List, particularly given the threat
of pollution arising from industrialisation and rapid and initially
uncontrolled urbanisation that was jeopardising the historical and cultural
heritage of the old town Finally, with
the ratification of the World Heritage
Convention by Turkey in 1983, the nomination of the historic areas of Istanbul
could be considered.
In 1985 the Historic Areas of Istanbul was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage
List under several distinct cultural criteria for outstanding universal value.
As the International
Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) noted at the time, one could not conceive of
the World Heritage List without this city which was built at the crossroads of
two continents, which was successively the capital of the Eastern Roman
Empire the Byzantine Empire and the
Ottoman Empire and which has constantly been associated with major events in
political history, religious history and art history in Europe and Asia for
nearly twenty centuries
The four
historic areas of Istanbul are the Sultanahmet Archaeological Park which
features Hagia Sophia, Hagia Eirini, the Hippodrome, Topkapı Palace and the
Sultanahmet Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque); the Süleymaniye Conservation
Area (the aqueduct of Valens); the Zeyrek Conservation Area (centred on the
Pantocrator Church now Zeyrek Mosque) and the Land Walls Conservation Area.
But without
any doubt the historic and spiritual core of the city is and has always been the
Byzantine Church of Hagia Sophia.
In assessing
the Outstanding Universal Value of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, there were
four relevant criteria.
Under
Criterion 1 the city represents a masterpiece of human creative genius which it
clearly does through unique
monuments and masterpieces of universal architecture, most notably the Church
of Hagia Sophia which was built by Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Milet
in 532-537 and the 16th century Süleymaniye Mosque, a
masterpiece of architecture by the Ottoman (with Greek/Armenian origins)
architect, Koca Sinan.
Secondly, throughout history, the monuments in the city’s centre
have exerted considerable influence on the development of architecture,
monumental arts and the organization of space, both in Europe and in Asia.
Thus, the long terrestrial wall of Theodosius II with its second line of
defences, created in 447, set a benchmark for military architecture even before
Hagia Sophia became a model for churches and later mosques. Within the zone of the ramparts there is also
the old church (now museum) of the Holy Saviour in Chora (presently Kahriye Carnii) with its incredible mosaics
and paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Thirdly, the
city of Istanbul bears a unique testimony to the
Byzantine and Ottoman civilisations.
And under the fourth criterion, buildings such as Hagia Sophia are an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.
Drawings by Matthew Taylor, architect, of the Acropolis Research Group
In 2000 in a report on Hagia
Sophia a UNESCO team comprising archaeologists, engineers, restorers and other
specialists noted that Hagia Sophia is “one of the very few most important
monuments in the world”.
Cultural co-operation between Greece and Turkey:
On 4 February 2000 an agreement
was signed between the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Turkey on cultural
co-operation. Article 3 relevantly
provided that the parties shall promote their active and friendly co-operation
and mutual assistance in the fields of cultures of culture, science and
education within UNESCO and the Council of Europe and other international
organisations and they shall “refrain from actions which are likely to be
opposed to the other party’s interests”.
“Let’s make Istanbul a museum city”:
On 21 March, 2005 the then
Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry Undersecretary Mustafa Isen resolved to transform
the Sultanahmet surroundings into a museum city.
Just over a year late on 22 June
2016 Prime Minister Erdoğan (as he then was) while speaking at the opening of the
restored Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research
Institute Museum, said that Istanbul, which dazzles with its historical and
cultural elements, had added a new museum which carries the past to the present and
which will revive the consciousness of
the people. He declared: “Let’s make
Istanbul a museum city.”
The Alliance of Civilizations Initiative:
The Alliance of Civilizations
(AOC) was launched in 2005 jointly by Turkey and Spain and subsequently became
a UN initiative upon its endorsement by the Secretary-General of the United
Nations.
According to the AOC charter preamble, various extremist
elements were said to exploit the mutual suspicion, fear and polarisation
between the Muslim countries and Western societies. The Alliance’s aim is to
overcome this tendency by enhancing mutual respect between cultures bearing in
mind that only a comprehensive coalition can prevent the deterioration of this
situation, which threatens international peace and stability. The Initiative is
based on the idea that all societies are interdependent on the matters of
development, security, environment and welfare. It aims at establishing a
common political will in order to overcome prejudice, misperception and polarisation.
Fifteen years later, Erdoğan has jettisoned any pretence to upholding these principles in his quest for a neo-Ottoman caliphate and the abrupt Islamisation of a beacon of Christian and Ottoman civilisation.Turkey’s actions in relation to Hagia Sophia have undermined the very spirit of the AOC and run contrary to any sense of dialogue and cooperation.
Skyflight of fantasy:
Readers of the August 2013 issue
Skyflight, the in-flight magazine of the State-owned Turkish Airlines, were
treated to a confronting cover: “Ayasoya: Sultanlarin Camii: Hagia Sophia:
Mosque of Sultans”.
The article read almost like a brief
for the caliphal prosecution as it ventured into the alleged legal irregularities
surrounding the decision taken by Atatürk and
his Council of Ministers in 1934 to convert Hagia Sophia into a museum.,
claiming that there are doubts regarding the legitimacy of that decree insofar
as cadastral records show the property as the “Grand Imperial Hagia Sophia
Mosque Complex consisting of a Mausoleum, an a Clock room, a Madrasa and Leased
Property” belonging to the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Foundation, according to a title
deed dated February 19, 1936.
Fast forward seven years
later. After Erdoğan published his presidential degree apologists for the
Turkish regime asserted that Hagia Sophia is a part of that Foundation as a
“mosque” and is therefore legally a property of this endowment and according to
the Turkish Law on Endowments, a property should primarily be used in pursuant
of function it was written in its founding document .
But even in Turkish Islamic culture the Hagia Sophia is laden with significance far beyond that of simply being a mosque.
2015 celebration of 30 years on UNESCO World Heritage List:
Despite
this, Turkey has outwardly accepted plaudits for the inclusion of the Historic
Areas of Istanbul on the World Heritage List.
In April 2015 the Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbaş (also an architect) attended a ceremony where the Director-General of UNESCO,
Irina Bokova, congratulated the city and recalled that “the universal outstanding value of
Istanbul resides in its unique integration of architectural masterpieces that
reflect the crossroads of European and Asian cultures over many
centuries”. Ms Bokova added:
“Istanbul is emblematic for many civilizations. It sends a strong
message to the world, in particular at this troubling period when we are
witnessing the destruction of invaluable cultural heritage, ranging from
temples, to mosques and churches in many parts of the world,” declared
Irina Bokova.
In
response, Mayor Topbaş expressed his appreciation for the “excellent
cooperation between Turkey and UNESCO” and emphasised that “culture brings people together and
should be put forth as a common language of humanity everywhere in the
world”. In conclusion, he underscored
the need to “preserve not only the buildings but also the lifestyles that
the buildings house through a multidimensional approach.”
Istanbul declaration on the protection of world heritage:
On 11 July 2016 the 40th
session of the World Heritage Committee was held in Istanbul (rather ironic in
view of recent developments). The State
parties (including Turkey) acknowledged the paramount importance of cultural and
natural heritage for people’s values, identities and memory and resolved to harness cultural heritage as a force for dialogue and mutual understanding
in order to foster a sense of common history and the intellectual and moral solidarity
of humanity, as the lasting foundation for peace. More tellingly, the World Heritage Committee
reminded all States Parties of their obligation to safeguard cultural and natural
heritage of Outstanding Universal Value at national and international levels and to take all appropriate legislative measures in that
direction where necessary.
Except when it comes to Hagia
Sophia which is at the core of a UNESCO world heritage site and which together
with its surviving iconography (mosaics and frescoes from the medieval
Byzantine period) bear witness to a grandeur of Byzantine art and architecture
that has not diminished.
The Other Hagia Sophia in Trabzon (Trebizond):
After the capture of Constantinople during the
Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Empire of Trebizond was
founded as a successor state of the Byzantine
Empire with Trabzon as its capital. The
church dedicated to Hagia Sophia was built during the reign of Manuel I
Komnenos in the thirteenth century as a monastic and funerary church, replete
with magnificent Byzantine mosaics and iconography from the 13th
century.
In recent years this Byzantine church has also been
converted into a mosque even though conservation
masterplan of Trabzon in force still identified the monument and its vicinity
as a “museum development site”. A
ceiling and rudimentary screens have been inserted so that the whole upper part
of the building’s central space, including the arches, vaults, domes, mosaics
and frescoes, have all been obscured with
red carpet unfurled over the marble floor.
Does a similar disastrous fate eventually await
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul?
Universal condemnation of the re-conversion of Hagia Sophia as a museum:
The hue and outcry have been predictable
in scientific and academic circles but worryingly less so amongst politicians
and diplomats
UNESCO lamented the lack of
dialogue on the part of Turkey and reminded Erdoğan that States,
including Turkey, have an obligation to ensure that any proposed modifications
do not affect the Outstanding Universal Value of inscribed sites on their
territories and that in the case of Hagia Sophia the artistic works
representing all the cultural layers of this incredible monument will continue
to be accessible side by side.
ICOMOS was more to the point:
“Since 1934, Hagia Sophia has been a museum, a decision motivated as a symbolic gesture to openly present to the public the spectacular multilayered cultural richness of this monument. The Turkish people and tourists from all over the world have since then had the opportunity to visit this architectural masterpiece and contemplate its stunning works of art of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, an intercultural exchange inscribed in the museum’s DNA.”
David Gardner in the Financial Times
took aim at the neo-Ottoman fetishes of the Turkish President and did not hold
back:
“As the choreography of culture wars goes, it
cannot be faulted. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, last week
decreed that the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine
cathedral-turned-mosque-turned-museum, will once again become a mosque. This
crown jewel of Istanbul’s majestic skyline is being weaponised for the purpose
of mass distraction. Mr Erdogan, the towering figure of Turkey this century,
has won more than a dozen electoral victories to sweep aside a parliamentary
system with an authoritarian presidency that allows him to rule like a
neo-Sultan.”
The renown Byzantine scholar,
Judith Herrin, was equally dismayed at Erdogan’s brutal ethnc and cultural
cleansing:
“By serving as a museum, Hagia
Sophia, a vast, 1,500-year-old structure that previously served as a church and
then a mosque, represented the essence of Istanbul, a place where
world-changing empires and religions conflicted and intersected but whose
monuments and artefacts can be enjoyed by all. (The Turkish Court) ruling marks
a symbolic end to this legacy of tolerance.”
Political leaders have been much more circumspect. The US President Donald Trump who appears to have a very ‘cosy’ relationship with Erdoğan has said nothing. His Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, expressed “disappointment”. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded that it was within Turkey’s “sovereign rights” to take these steps as though the world heritage significance of the monument counts for nothing. Australia, which is still beholden to a flawed Gallipoli mythology and does not want to upset the Turks, has been silent.
Hagia Sophia belongs to the world:
Since 1934 Hagia Sophia operated as a museum to present to the public the spectacular multilayered cultural richness of the monument and the many layers of history it embodies. In truth, Hagia Sophia does not belong to any one religion or nation but to all humanity.
It is arguably the most celebrated and most
recognisable component of the UNESCO-listed Historic Areas of Istanbul. Converting it to a mosque effectively deletes
ninety years of history as a museum and as a model of religious freedom in
harmony with the ecumenical status of the building.
President Erdoğan is currently mired
in external wars in Syria and Libya and yet
is deliberately provoking Greece over territorial rights in the Eastern
Mediterranean and forced migrant refugee flows across the Turkish border. The Turkish economy is stagnant, especially
in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic crisis, and like any authoritarian despot
under pressure, Erdoğan looks to other distractions to consolidate his far-right
Islamist base and to feed his neo-Ottoman dreams of a new, greater Turkey that
sheds its modern secular robes and embraces an aggressive brand of Islam that
threatens the region.
The re-conversion of Hagia Sophia
to a mosque was an easy target to achieve with a stacked judiciary and has
become a symbolic act that feeds to Erdoğan’s nationalist-populist base.
Despite claims that Istanbul is a museum city and that Turkey is a faithful State actor in UNESCO and on the world cultural heritage stage, the brutal truth has been exposed by this decision. Turkey under Erdoğan simply does not respect religious and cultural diversity throughout the world.
But Hagia Sophia will long
outlive this indignity, given its world heritage status and iconic recognition
as the most important surviving Byzantine structure and one of the world’s
great monuments. As Bissera Pentcheva, Professor of Classics at Stanford University, has
observed every element of this famed Byzantine monument was designed to invoke
a sense of the divine.
No misconceived or politically motivated temporal
intervention will ever change that.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has revealed the budget will be in the red by $85.8 billion in 2019-20 and $184.5 billion in 2020-21, marking the biggest deficit since World War II due to drastic spending to mitigate the damage from the coronavirus pandemic.
At a special budget update on Thursday, the first since December, Mr Frydenberg said the unemployment rate was expected to reach 9.25 percent in the December quarter, while GDP would contract by 0.25 percent in 2019-20 and shrink 2.5 percent in 2020-21.
The economic downturn has cost the budget $32.4 billion in 2019-20 and $72.2 billion in 2020-21. Tax receipts are down $31.7 billion in 2019-20 and $63.9 billion in 2020-21.
The coronavirus pandemic has dashed the Morrison government’s plans to be “back in the black” and produce the first surplus since 2007-08.
The 2020-21 deficit is about four times the last record, which was $54.5 billion when the Rudd government tackled the global financial crisis.
Fronditha Care will extend the voluntary lockdown of its Victorian facilities and heighten its regulations on wearing masks as the state grapples with the rapid spread of COVID-19.
The voluntary lockdown of its four Melbourne facilities in Thornbury, Templestowe, St Albans and Clayton) will be extended for at least another two weeks until August 9, 2020.
No visitors will be allowed unless under exceptional circumstances such as palliative care.
Staff have also begun wearing masks at all times, and onsite COVID-19 testing has been available for residents and staff since July 16, 2020.
Chief Executive Officer, Michael Malakonas, said the organisation is in “a heightened state of alert.”
“Our seniors are some of the most vulnerable to this virus and we have to be ahead of this invisible enemy,” Mr Malakonas said. “The mandatory wearing of masks is just one way we can physically protect our residents and staff.”
Since the outbreak began, the organisation insisted that employees only work at one Fronditha Care site and enacted a strict self-reporting policy.
This includes standing down all staff on full pay if they develop symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has potentially been exposed to COVID-19, and encouraging staff to confidentially report if they work for other companies.
Fronditha Care will extend the voluntary lockdown of all its Victorian facilities.
Fronditha Care’s procedures in the community have also been boosted:
All staff are wearing surgical masks when visiting Home Care Package clients and checking their temperatures at the start of their shift.
A new mask is worn for each client and all escorted outings/shopping trips are reviewed case-by-case.
All clients and other occupants of the home are also temperature checked before the service can begin.
To date, no Fronditha Care consumer has contracted the virus, and only one staff member tested positive on July 10, 2020.
As per the organisation’s self-reporting policy, that staff member self isolated early and only tested positive eight days after their last shift. The Public Health Unit advised there was no need to test staff or residents in that respective facility.
The ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture, Nikos Dendias and Lina Mendoni, have agreed to the creation of a small working group which will, within 10 days, propose a specific action plan to raise awareness within the international community about Turkey’s conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque.
“We have repeatedly stressed that the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque does not constitute a Greek-Turkish difference. However, of course, for us Greeks, this monument is of special importance and value,” Dendias said.
Σύσκεψη @GreeceMFA για την Αγία Σοφία με την Υπουργό Πολιτισμού Λίνα Μενδώνη. Συζητήσαμε για τον συντονισμό των ενεργειών μας καθώς και την ανάληψη πρωτοβουλιών για την ευαισθητοποίηση της διεθνούς κοινότητας. pic.twitter.com/4TBUQawUAP
“For this reason, we have decided to raise the issue through international initiatives that we will undertake, as European citizens and as citizens of the world community, talking to all international organisations and, of course, UNESCO.”
The meeting was also attended by Greek Ambassador to UNESCO Maria Diamantopoulou, the chair of the Greek National Commission for UNESCO Ekaterini Tzitzikosta and other officials.
Turkey changed the status of the 6th century monument, a UNESCO World heritage Site, earlier in the month and prayers are scheduled to be read there on Friday.
The conversion of the former Greek Orthodox cathedral into a mosque has drawn worldwide condemnation.
The navies of Greece and Cyprus issued a Navigation Telex (Navtex) high alert on Wednesday.
The move comes in the wake of a telephone conversation between Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades.
In a tweet, Anastasiades said the two leaders discussed “Turkey’s latest illegal action that violates the sovereign rights of Cyprus and Greece.”
Talks also focused on Anstasiades’ meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.
Είχα προ ολίγου τηλ επικοινωνία με τον Πρωθυπουργό @kmitsotakis για τη νέα παράνομη ενέργεια της Τουρκίας που παραβιάζει κυριαρχικά δικαιώματα Κύπρου και Ελλάδας. Συζητήσαμε για από κοινού δράσεις αλλά και για την αυριανή μου συνάντηση με τον Πρόεδρο @EmmanuelMacron. pic.twitter.com/B7R5AWF72Z
— Nicos Anastasiades (@AnastasiadesCY) July 22, 2020
Turkey’s navy on Tuesday issued a Navtex for seismic surveys in an area of sea between Cyprus and Crete. The advisory is in effect until August 20.
All staff at St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner have been ordered to vacate their positions and go into isolation, as 69 COVID-19 cases were linked to the centre in the worst aged care outbreak in Victoria.
A spokesperson for the Aged Care and Senior Australians minister, Senator Richard Colbeck, confirmed that the federal health department was assisting the centre’s management.
“The management of St Basil’s Home for the Aged remains in control of the facility with the support of the Commonwealth Health Department,” the spokesperson said.
St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner. Photo: Google News.
“Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, local public health and DHHS representatives are all on site. A full assessment is currently being undertaken to determine the appropriate clinical response in the interests of all residents.”
Family members of residents responded to the outbreak last night, telling The Age they are distressed over the lack of communication from the home and accused them of being “extremely secretive.”
In an exclusive report this morning, Nine News also alleged there was a possible breach of infection control at the aged care home.
“Management gave us full protective equipment this week. Even as of Sunday, after they knew COVID was an issue, masks and gloves weren’t taken seriously. It was up to workers… it wasn’t enforced,” one staffer told the Health Care Workers union yesterday, according to Nine News.
Another worker stated: “Reporting that a resident was taken to hospital last week. Before that, he was coughing and sneezing all over the place. Infecting staff and others. He was not isolated.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) also issued a statement last night, urging people to “ensure Government health directions are strictly followed in light of the outbreak.”
“These are alarming numbers for the Greek community and we must prepare and be vigilant to avoid similar outbreaks elsewhere,” Mary Patetsos from FECCA adds.
“Infection control protocols at the facility are being reviewed and strengthened by health authorities.”
