In a new wartime-like televised address to the nation, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis informed the public about the latest emergency measures taken by the government to cope with the unprecedented lockdown the country is in due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The Greek Premier said emphatically that ”we are at war with an invisible enemy, but an enemy that is not invincible.”
Mitsotakis spoke about two different moral approaches in this global pandemic.
The first one, he said, puts the economy first, ”which will have to be assisted no matter how many victims we have.”
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.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 17, 2020
The Prime Minister indirectly referred to the United Kingdom’s approach and its controversial ”herd immunity” strategy, saying that this approach ”puts numbers above humans.”
”The second one,” the Greek Premier stated, ”is the one that puts the health of our societies first, no matter what the cost.”
”The next days will be difficult, they will even be a nightmare. Our economy has to become an economy of wartime,” Mitsotakis said in an emotionally-charged address.
The Prime Minister also said that he deeply desires that each and every Greek citizen stay healthy.
”My first priority is the human. Every Greek male, every Greek female, every Greek child,” the Premier said.
”I will take any responsibility (to protect) their lives and their health,” he declared.
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.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 17, 2020
The Greek Premier announced an immediate sum of two billion euros to assist those businesses most affected and announced that the relative ministries will specify the assistance measures tomorrow.
Among them will be salaries of closed companies being paid by the state, as well as cancellation of all tax and social security contributions for certain months and certain businesses.
Αποφασίστηκε στο Eurogroup ότι για φέτος δεν υφίσταται ο στόχος του 3,5% πλεονάσματος. Οι δαπάνες για την υγειονομική αλλά και τη μεταναστευτική κρίση δεν θα υπολογίζονται στον προϋπολογισμό. Όπως και οι έκτακτες δαπάνες για άνεργους, οικονομικά αδύναμους και προνοιακές δομές.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 17, 2020
He also mentioned the EU’s decision to lift the prerequisite for a 3.5-percent primary surplus from Greece for this year.
He also mentioned the private hospitals that the Greek state has now taken under public control to help the National Health System, and thanked all the country’s medical staff, ”the heroes in the white and green scrubs.”
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.
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