The Minister of Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis, speaking on SKAI, while once again ruling out a lockdown.
«There will be no lockdown. Not because it’s impossible that we’ll find ourselves in difficult situations—unfortunately, that’s not out of the question, with 35% of citizens unvaccinated. The reason there won’t be a lockdown is that the government does not have the moral right to violate the constitutional freedoms of vaccinated people, who, by choosing to get vaccinated, are no longer at risk of losing their lives. ‘So, you can’t tell them, “I’m locking you up at home,”» he stated emphatically.
He noted, however, that the problem with the pandemic is that vaccinated people can still get infected and transmit the virus, but they do not die, do not end up in intensive care, and do not burden the healthcare system—unlike the unvaccinated, who, as he said, if they get infected, 1 in 10 may die.
«There could be local restrictions, but our general principle is that these, too, will apply only to the unvaccinated. We are trying, as much as possible, to ensure that these blanket measures do not significantly affect the lives of those who have been vaccinated,» he added.
In any case, Mr. Georgiadis pointed out that from the day the measures for the unvaccinated were announced, the vaccination program suddenly «picked up speed,» with 20,000–30,000 appointments being booked per day.
When asked why rapid tests were not required in supermarkets as well, he replied that the government did not want to deny access to that minority of citizens who not only refuse to get vaccinated but also refuse to get tested. «You can’t just let these people starve to death,» he emphasized.
There was no significant change in revenue
Regarding the market situation from the very first day the measures were implemented, the Minister of Development noted that it had progressed satisfactorily, without any problems or significant changes in business turnover. «We are able to monitor what is happening in the market every day through the electronic transaction system—specifically, through VAT collections. We are also able to communicate with a great many stores throughout Greece. The first day the measures were implemented did not have the impact that merchants» representatives had been claiming in the days leading up to it. There was no significant change in sales between Saturday, November 6, and Saturday, October 30. In fact, customers I spoke with yesterday told me that they feel safer with the measures in place, because they were afraid,” he commented.
Responding to the merchants« reactions, he stated, »I respect what the merchants are saying—that they are being fined because of inadequate inspections—but there is also a strong counterargument. If we say that stores bear no responsibility, no one will conduct inspections. If no one conducts inspections, the primary goal—which is to control the pandemic—will not be achieved.”.
Natural gas prices have fallen in recent days
Regarding energy price hikes, Mr. Georgiadis emphasized that natural gas prices have fallen in recent days and, if this trend continues, the market will soon stabilize. When asked if the government plans to provide further support to households and businesses, he noted that «the government’s motto is that no one will be left behind. We are the government that has given the most to the greatest number of people.».
Finally, given the difficulty businesses face in accessing financing, he said that under the new NSRF, «we will use funds to provide state-guaranteed loans.».
