«In recent days, there has been a decline in hospital admissions, which is a positive sign. I say this because we’ve been under enormous pressure over the past few days; in fact, at the end of last week, there were as many as 240 admissions in Attica in a single night. This number has been steadily declining over the past few days. Yesterday we had 175, and the day before yesterday 169 hospital admissions in Attica. »If this decline continues over the next few days, it will be a positive sign," government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni emphasized in an interview with OPEN.
Referring to the resumption of activities and whether this will take place on April 5 or April 12, Ms. Peloni emphasized that «the government has already presented to the Committee the framework of its strategy for the coming period, outlining how a controlled reopening will take place, a controlled restart of the economy and education, and with the new supplementary tool of the self-test, which will be available free of charge to every Greek citizen in early April.» He added that we must take into account that the weather is changing and many activities can be moved outdoors, while reiterating that the goal is a controlled reopening of retail businesses and schools.
«The committee will meet later this week, evaluate the data, and make recommendations to the government on how to proceed with a controlled reopening,» the government spokesperson noted. Referring to the supplementary self-test tool, which will be added to the targeted and random testing already underway and to the accelerated vaccination efforts that are building herd immunity, Ms. Peloni noted that «it will help identify asymptomatic patients and break the chain of transmission.».
«The Public Health Committee recommended widespread self-testing; the committee of experts established the specifications for the tests and supports the strategy presented by the government. The tests are reliable and meet the same European standards as rapid tests. It is also important that every citizen can get tested at home using instructions provided by the pharmacy. »I would like to remind everyone that every citizen is entitled to one free test per week by presenting their AMKA,” emphasized Aristotelia Peloni.
Vaccination is also a key pillar of the strategy, the government spokesperson emphasized, noting that «With each passing week, we’re adding 200,000 more vaccinations, and the wall of immunity is gradually being built. This will continue in April; we will have 1.5 million more vaccinations. Vaccinations are proceeding for vulnerable high-risk groups; the process for Greeks aged 70 to 74 began in recent days, and the next age group will be eligible in a few days.».
«By early May, citizens over the age of 60 and those in high-risk groups will have received at least one dose of the vaccine,» he emphasized, adding that he expects that starting in June, we will begin vaccinating the general population on an age-based schedule.
«The government is doing everything it can to support all workers and businesses and will continue to provide targeted support to those affected,» the government spokesperson emphasized, adding that attention must also be turned toward economic recovery. She noted that support measures for 2020 already totaled 24 billion, and that the measures announced to date to support workers and businesses in 2021 have reached 11.6 billion.
Referring to the strict restrictive measures, she emphasized that if one looks at what is happening in Europe, «these measures are gradually losing their effectiveness,» and she cited Germany as an example, where restrictions were announced for Easter and the German chancellor apologized. ’That is why,» she added, “we must be more flexible, more targeted, and allow some breathing room to ensure the measures are implemented more effectively; fatigue is not a good guide.”Regarding interregional travel, Aristotelia Peloni emphasized that it is still too early to say; a decision will be made in the coming days based on epidemiological data.
Excellent atmosphere during the discussion between Mitsotakis and Biden – possible visit by the prime minister to Washington in 2021
Regarding Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s phone call with Joe Biden, the government spokesperson described it as «a very warm conversation that took place in an excellent atmosphere and which reflects the excellent state of Greek-American relations.» «As you know, there was also an online event during which Mr. Biden spoke to members of the Greek-American community. Mr. Biden made some remarks there,» she noted. When asked about a possible visit by the prime minister to Washington, Ms. Peloni noted that «it makes sense for such a visit to take place in 2021, provided that developments regarding the pandemic allow it and because we are also marking the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution.».
