Dozens of doctors and nurses working in Greece’s public hospital have tested positive for coronavirus, and some 300 members of medical staff are in home isolation, following a shortage of hygiene products.
Mr Michalis Giannakos, President of Greece’s Union for Hospital Workers POEDIN, said a total of 48 doctors tested positive for COVID-19 overnight, with many clinics closing down to be disinfected and patients being transferred to other hospitals as a result.
“We are decimated. If masks do not come, there will be many losses,” Mr Giannakos said.
“Hospital doctors have been complaining for days that protective measures have not been taken for both the medical and nursing sectors.”
Doctors and nurses working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic are increasingly at risk.
Greek Health Ministry spokesman, Sotiris Tsiodras, concurred with the union president and said some medical staff had been infected after coming in contact with infected patients ‘without the necessary protection measures.’
“Health care personnel are at the forefront of the health system,” Mr Tsiodras said.
“If they’ve come in contact with an infected person, they will be put in a 7 day, and not a 14 day, quarantine in order not to weaken the health system. And they will return to hospitals even if they need to work with a mask, taking the necessary safety measures.”
This decision comes after Greece’s confirmed cases of coronavirus rose to 418 last night.
The future of female football is placed in everyone in the football community’s hands, as we enter the transition phase of women’s sport in Australia.
Left to drive this future in Sydney is Strathfield’s Junior Vice President Angelica (Gelly) Georgopoulos, along with her sister Alexandra, who worked tirelessly to organise the Female Football Festival that took place on the 8th of March 2020.
The Greek Herald spoke with Angelica regarding her tremendous work in organising the festival, giving young girls in Sydney the opportunity to enjoy a day of football fun.
Angelica tell us about the Female Football Festival on Sunday?
Sunday went so well, a little bit soggy in the morning – but nothing the girls could not handle! Quite a symbolic message… even in the rain, the girls played their hearts out. Our two synthetic fields at Strathfield Park allowed for the festival to go ahead, even in the rain… we play! By midday, we were lucky to see the sun again.
How many Clubs were involved?
The festival hosted several clubs from different associations and the aim was to celebrate International Women’s Day and female footballers within the community. These clubs included Bankstown Sports Stars FC, Birrong FC, Russell Lea Women’s SC, Hurlstone Park Wanderers FC, Inter-Lions FC, Marrickville FC, Roselands FC and of course Strathfield FC.
Angelica could you describe the programme that took place on the day?
We had 4 age groups, U12s (for most, their first time playing on a full field) U14s, U21s and an All Age Women’s (our team). Each age group had 4 teams and played two full-field games, the winner of both matches were presented with the incredible SFC FFF trophy and plaque (If I do say so myself!). There was also a Players Player and Golden Boot awarded to each age group.
We had a BBQ, free-gelato to all female participants, two W-League Sydney FC players (Veronica Latsko and Lindsay Agnew) present to take photos and interact with the girls and representation from Football NSW and the Western Sydney Wanderers. We were also lucky to have a famous Australian-Greek DJ from the 80s DJ Harry Wild! He was a fantastic M/C and DJ on they day.
Did any officials from the council attend the festival?
Yes, Jody McKay MP, Cr Maryanne Duggan and Cr Karen Pensabene our local council members also attended the festival. They were extremely impressed by how much female football has grown in the community!
What about the promotion of Women World Cup Bid?
The #GetOnside sign was to promote the Australian-New Zealand Women’s World Cup Bid for 2023. The festival was a great platform to advocate for this. Also I want to add that Alexandra and I along with one other Strathfield FC committee member, Jamie Bromell, had been working on this festival for months. It was extremely rewarding to see it come to life and empower our younger girls to become more confident, celebrate being female and become more involved in the game. It was great to see the younger girls watching the older girls play… these girls now realise they have female leaders to look up to. Something Alexandra and I never had growing up in football.
We have left a legacy behind at Strathfield FC, and we look forward to organising the 2021 Strathfield FC Female Football Festival! We hope for an even bigger and better one!
The coronavirus outbreak has prevented many people from leaving their homes, whether it be for isolation reasons or being forced to now work from home. Yet, that doesn’t mean people can slack off from staying fit and healthy by exercising.
Famous Greek-Australian personal trainer and fitness expert Kayla Itsines is globally recognised for her Bikini Body Guide (BBG) program, “which is used to help women become stronger, fitter and more confident.”
Suitable for people of all fitness levels, Kayla has been sharing a variety of BBG home workout videos on her instagram for the past week.
In one video, Kayla shared an arms and abs workout that can be easily completed with a resistance band and other light home equipment.
“One of the great things about my BBG program is that it requires minimal equipment, which means you can do your workouts at home, outdoors or even while you’re travelling (or in the gym like me 💪😄),” Kayla says in an Instagram post.
“If you’re doing BBG at home, try using household items like milk cartons filled with sand or water to replace your dumbbells or an old towel instead of a yoga mat.”
Kayla also released a blog post on her website, showing her item recommendations for people to purchase to keep fit at home.
“When you’re just starting on your exercise journey, you might not want to buy everything at once. If I had to choose only two of these pieces of equipment, I would recommend getting an exercise mat and some dumbbells,” Kaylas blog says.
“Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of space at home! Literally all you need is enough space to fit a mat to do a beginner workout.”
Kayla Itsines’ full program is available to download on her website, and was recently made available as an Apple TV app.
As Australia’s coronavirus count rises exponentially, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared a national human biosecurity emergency and announced a ban on all non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.
In the press conference that took place on Wednesday morning, the Prime Minister issued a blanket “do not travel” advice for all Australians for the first time in history.
Despite this, the Prime Minister has reiterated the government’s position that schools should remain open, saying that any moves to close schools would have to last for six months and could threaten “tens of thousands of jobs” of parents who have to stay home.
Schools to remain open
The Prime Minister said closing schools could cut available medical professionals by 30 per cent, and that keeping schools open is in the “national public interest”.
“I’m happy to follow for my kids, for Jenny and my kids, is the same health advice I am asking all other parents around the country to follow,” the Prime Minister said.
“As a father, I’m happy for my kids to go to school. There is only one reason your kids shouldn’t be going to school and that is if they are unwell. As parents, you are in the best position to know if your children are unwell.
“Whatever we do we have to do for at least six months. That means the disruption that would occur from the closure of schools around this country, make no mistake, would be severe.
“That will put peoples’ lives at risk. Let’s keep our heads as parents when it comes to this. Let’s do the right thing by the country and by each other and follow the proper advice. There is a national public interest here in keeping schools open.”
National Cabinet leaders also agreed on the advice that university and higher education “should continue at this time” with risk mitigation measures, including working from home arrangements where effective.
Gathering restrictions increase
The restrictions on non-essential indoor gatherings, announced on Wednesday, will have drastic effects on the operating procedures of pubs, cinemas and restaurants, and could force many small businesses to close altogether.
Weddings and funerals across the country will also be significantly impacted by the new laws.
Further guidelines on these new restrictions will be discussed at next National Cabinet meeting on Friday 20 March 2020. In the meantime, venues are told to continue to apply social distancing and hygiene practices, including being able to maintain a distance of 1.5 metres between patrons.
A statement released on Wednesday morning by Scott Morrison’s office states that settings such as gyms, indoor fitness centres and swimming pools are not required to close at this time, providing they meet the social distancing and hygiene requirements.
The ban on all non-essential gatherings outdoors remains at a maximum of 500 people.
Morrison said there would be no short-term, quick fix to deal with the COVID-19 crisis in Australia, and warned that “tens of thousands of jobs” could be lost.
New measures to curb the spread of the new Covid-19 virus were announced on Tuesday afternoon by Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Chardalias, with the number of cases in Greece now reaching 387.
From Wednesday at 6 a.m., all non-Greeks or EU citizens will not be allowed to enter Greece.
“Citizens of non-EU countries will not be allowed to enter our country from 6am tomorrow, except for an absolutely necessary condition related exclusively to emergency work or family,” Hardalias said, noting that foreigners would be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
The deputy minister did not specify how long the international border will be closed for. With Greece’s summer season approaching, being it’s most popular tourism period, it is unknown when or if Australian citizens will be able to visit Greece this summer.
He recommended that those who already have come to Greece from abroad for holidays, “that it is absolutely necessary to limit their movement.”
Nikos Chardalias was sworn in as Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management. (Photo by Eurokinissi/ Yiorgos Kontarinis)
Nikos Chardalias was was sworn in as Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, before the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister of Citzens’ Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis.
The Minister of Citzens’ Protection also announced restrictions on the movement of refugees and migrants to the camps. “In the context of the spread of coronavirus for CTDs, circulation to CTD distributors is restricted. It will be possible to move people into small groups,” Mr Chrisochoidis said.
According official data released on Tuesday, 5 people have died and 387 cases have been confirmed in Greece since the coronavirus outbreak.
Where parents see children glued to their TV screens not socially engaging with others, children see themselves having fun playing online with hundreds of other children around Australia. Sadly, as much as children won’t admit it, sitting inside playing video games won’t help them improve their body functionality like sports will, or improve their real life communication skills with other children.
Waverley Council mayor Paula Masselos is leading the charge in an effort for kids to ditch the TV and play outdoors with friends and neighbours as Waverley implements a 6-month street close trial.
Cr Masselos has approved a 6-month trial to close 4 Waverley streets to cars on Sunday afternoons, in a bid for children to engage in more outdoor activities.
“People are very excited by this. They see it as important because it brings the community together,” Cr Masselos said. “It’s about reclaiming the streets, and bringing them back to the people.”
After the trials already successful results, Cr Masselos has informed that the council has now released applications for other Waverley streets to apply to partake in the rewarding street play initiative.
Kids enjoying the new 6-month trial which closes 4 Waverley streets to cars on Sunday afternoons, allowing kids to engage in more outdoor activities. Photo: Sydney morning Herald – JAMES ALCOCK
Prior to Cr Masselos appointed as mayor, locals from Cox Avenue had unsuccessfully applied to the council for permission to hold street parties. They went ahead anyway, said local resident Alex Unsworth to the Sydney Morning Herald. Residents bought their own high-vis vests, a ‘road closed’ sign and red traffic cones, and learned how to politely usher cars in and out of the area.
“You’ve not been allowed to close the street for anything until now,” Mr Unsworth said.
“We didn’t have portable toilets, and an emergency evacuation plan, all that sort of stuff. So we kept on complaining and complaining. The reason we closed the street was that kids were playing and it was the only way to make it safe was to block traffic with the road closure sign,” Mr Unsworth said. Residents didn’t have insurance, and the pilot program by Waverley will provide that.
Local parents are hoping that this new initiative will help make kids more social and engage with others, without being in the comfort of their own homes.
“It’s a return to the old ways, the good ways, the civility, courtesies, and the children playing,” one resident said.
UEFA held crisis talks this morning amid the worldwide coronavirus outbreak and the decision was made to push the Euros tournament back to 2021.
The tournament that was due to open on June 12 in Rome is now scheduled for next year from June 11 to July 11, in the same 12 host nations.
The virus currently “makes football and all life in Europe quite impossible,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.
“We think postponing the Euro is the only (way) to get a chance to the national leagues and to all the club competitions to finish,” Ceferin said.
The UEFA executive committee made the decision after hosting a video conference call with its 55 national member federations.
Photo: The Sun
The European Championship final typically attracts a broadcast audience of 300 million worldwide and the 51-game tournament made UEFA a profit of 830 million euros ($912 million) four years ago.
“Moving Euro 2020 comes at a huge cost for UEFA,” Ceferin said in a statement.
The freeze on games amid the pandemic has also put broadcasting deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars on hold and could lead to the 2019-20 season being annulled in some competitions.
Completing domestic league seasons would allow titles to be awarded and decide entries for the next Champions League and Europa League. If resuming the season is possible, UEFA’s options to complete this season include playing the quarterfinals and semifinals as single games instead of over two legs where each team has a home match.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a televised address to Greek citizens on Tuesday on the spread of the coronavirus, echoing French President Emmanuel Macron, declaring that “we are at war.”
“The enemy is invisible but not invincible,” he said. “If we curb the spread of the virus, we give time to the health system to address urgent cases,” he added, noting that, “our first priority is to save lives.”
He announced that the capital’s NIMTS hospital will be turned into a centre for the treatment of coronavirus patients. With the help of private clinics, 1,900 additional hospital beds will also be made available for patients afflicted with the virus.
“Our first concern are people and public health,” he said. “That is way we imposed, earlier than other European countries, unprecedented measures for peacetime.” He said the state has three key goals: curbing the spread of the virus, boosting the health system and supporting the economy and workers.
Economy repair
The government will provide 2.5 billion euros to tackle the problems to the economy and labor market caused by the repercussions of the virus, the premier said. He appealed to employers not to dismiss workers as the government is planning measures that will boost liquidity and will allow them to endure the crisis.
“What was once cocooning is now necessary,” Mitsotakis said, underlining the need for people to stay at home to avert the spread of the virus, particularly to vulnerable social groups. “Our primary concern is to protect the elderly.”
Πρώτη μας φροντίδα είναι ο άνθρωπος και η δημόσια υγεία. Για αυτό επιβάλαμε, νωρίτερα από άλλες ευρωπαϊκές χώρες, μέτρα πρωτοφανή για καιρό ειρήνης. Τρεις είναι οι στόχοι: O περιορισμός της διάδοσης του ιού. Η ενίσχυση του συστήματος υγείας. Η στήριξη οικονομίας και εργαζομένων.
The prime minister stressed, “We want to save jobs. And I urge businesses not to make redundancies. Because there will be measures that will stimulate liquidity and allow them to withstand this adversity.”
Mitsotakis warned that “the risk will increase in the coming two months” and said “new restrictions will follow,” stressing discipline and change in daily attitude to listen to the experts.
Σε πρώτη φάση, η κυβέρνηση θα διαθέσει €2 δισ. για να βοηθήσει παραγωγικές δραστηριότητες με προβλήματα λόγω μείωσης του τζίρου. Ενώ το κράτος, και όχι η επιχείρηση, αναλαμβάνει να καταβάλει μέρος του μισθού των εργαζομένων στους κλάδους που πλήττονται.
Speaking of the closure of schools and universities and remote working, the PM stressed that “what we are experiencing is not ’15 days of relaxed holidays’” but something more akin to war conditions.
Mitsotakis added that this attitude requires “many and drastic measures,” and relies on the discipline of each citizen to limit the pandemic, and therefore the number of casualties.
Concluding his address to the nation, Mitsotakis urged people to stay safe — by staying at home.
”We will make it. We, the Greeks, will emerge once again victorious!” he declared.
The Football Federation Australia (FFA) has temporarily suspended all grassroots football in an attempt to help minimise the spread of the coronavirus.
“After considered discussion with its nine State and Territory Member Federations and assessment of developments today, sanctioned grassroots football competitions and associated training would be suspended for the next four weeks,” a statement released by the FFA on Tuesday says.
All forms of semi-professional and local football games, including training and competitions, will not be permitted to take place. This includes National Premier Leagues, FFA Cup, youth and footballing activities under FFA jurisdiction such as MiniRoos and futsal.
This also means that competitions already in operation, such as the NPL, will have to halt while the winter amateur competitions due to start at the end of this month will be delayed.
The decision will take effect from 12:00am on Wednesday, 18 March 2020 until Tuesday, 14 April 2020.
FFA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson explained that while disappointing, reducing community gatherings would help slow the spread of the virus and that this was the driving factor in the decision.
FFA CEO James Johnson speaking in a press conference. Photo: FFA
“It is very regrettable that grassroots football will not proceed for the next month, but as a good and responsible citizen, we recognise that our game of approximately 1.96 million participants, has a significant role to play in slowing the spread of the virus,” Johnson said.
“More Australians play grassroots football than any other team sport in the country and we have been able to listen to the voice of our community, through the establishment of the National COVID-19 Working Committee and our Guidelines, who have expressed a desire to contribute more to the nation at this time through a unified and Whole of Game response.”
Football NSW Chief Executive Officer Stuart Hodge released a statement following the announcement by the FFA, recognising the importance of upholding the safety and wellbeing of the football community.
““Football NSW first and foremost supports our football family members and the wider community in ensuring that their health, wellbeing and safety is paramount amidst the current climate,” Hodge says.
“We are all unified as a sport to help ensure that the situation stabilizes by allowing our participants the chance to focus on what is important to them right now and that is keeping safe and well.
“We will continue to update all our members on the on-going changes that may occur but may I ask that each and everyone of you take care of yourselves, your family members and friends in this time of need.”
There are still no plans yet to suspend professional competitions such as the A-League and the W-League. Games will be played behind closed doors for the remainder of the season with FFA committed to playing this weekend’s W-League grand final between Sydney FC and Melbourne City.
FFA announced that they will continue to communicate new developments regarding the grassroots football suspension in the lead-up to 14 April 2020.
St Spyridon College is making waves with its plan to open a Kinder Minus One “Leading Edge Centre” in 2021, which will prepare young children to enter formal schooling with confidence and success.
The centre will provide a coherent Early Intervention and School Readiness (EISR) program, where teachers will work closely with allied professionals to effectively address children’s physical, intellectual, emotional and sensory needs.
“The information gained from this program will be used by the Junior School teachers to adapt programs for the range of needs, in preparation for entry to Kindergarten class,” Head of College, Mrs Efrosini Stefanou-Haag, said.
“A buddy system between Kinder Minus One children and Year 5 students, and going to church as part of the school’s ethos, will also enhance the child’s experience.”
Classes of approximately 25 children will be educated by a fully qualified classroom teacher and teacher’s aide, who will use learning activities guided by the Early Stage One outcomes of the New South Wales Curriculum.
Children take part in a science lesson at St Spyridon College. Photo provided by: St Spyridon College
“Our Centre will work with the children to develop all the necessary reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills which will help them have a successful start to formal school,” Mrs Stefanou-Haag said.
“As a Greek Orthodox College, the children will also be introduced to Jesus and His Church, and will learn simple prayers, hymns and traditions.”
When asked about the Centre’s philosophy, Mrs Stefanou-Haag said it is all about seeing ‘the treasure within’ children and following the Reggio approach of early childhood philosopher, Loris Malaguzzi.
Children have fun in an art class. Photo provided by St Spyridon College.
According to Loris Malaguzzi, the space in which children learn is the third teacher as it has the potential to not only ‘promote pleasant relationships among people of different ages,’ but it also ‘sparks all kinds of social, affective and cognitive learning.’
It is for this reason that the new Kinder Minus One “Learning Edge Centre” will be held in the college’s Doran House, which has a flexible learning area via operable walls, as well as a broad front verandah for outdoor activity under shelter.
“Every child is capable and powerful. Every child is driven to explore their world with curiosity and a formidable sense of wonder,” Mrs Stefanou-Haag said.
“Our Kinder Minus One staff will work together with other staff of the College to create an environment for children, and with children, that develops their natural attributes and builds their sense of identity, belonging and self worth.”
Centre enrolments will only be accepted for children aged 4-years-old (on or before May 31), and who will be commencing Kindergarten at St Spyridon College in 2022.
To submit your expression of interest and find out more about the new program, you can visit the college’s website here.
