Greece social briefing: Greece's response to COVID-19 - China-CEE Institute

ISSN: 2560-1601

                                                                                      Vol. 27, No. 3 (GR)

                                                                                               March 2020

                                           Greece social briefing:
                                  Greece’s response to COVID-19
                                            George N. Tzogopoulos

                                                               1052 Budapest Petőfi Sándor utca 11.

                                                               +36 1 5858 690
Kiadó: Kína-KKE Intézet Nonprofit Kft.
                                                               office@china-cee.eu
Szerkesztésért felelős személy: Chen Xin
Kiadásért felelős személy: Huang Ping                          china-cee.eu

2017/01

Greece’s response to COVID-19

      The month of March has been crucial in Greece’s fight against the novel coronavirus.
Greece belongs to eurozone countries which almost immediately took measures to contain the
virus. The measures have included social distancing safeguarded by an obligatory lockdown.
The Greek effort has been praised in international media. The task has been even more difficult
taking into account that Greece suffered by a serious economic crisis for a period of ten years.
Most Greek citizens realize the severity of the situation and – with their behavior – play a
crucial role in containing the virus.

      The first confirmed COVID-19 case in Greece was reported in the end of February 2020.
It was a 38-year-old woman who admitted to a special room in a Thessaloniki hospital. The
patient had travelled to Milan where the virus was spreading. While the issue started to acquire
public attention following the Italian drama, additional cases appeared. The situation became
more serious when Greek health officials reported 23 new coronavirus infections among a
group that had traveled to Israel at the beginning of March. According to Panagiotis
Georgakopoulos, head of the intensive care unit at the hospital of Patras, where one of the
patients from this group was admitted, the initial directive of the National Public Health
Organization was not to conduct screening for COVID-19 because the patient had traveled to
countries with no reports of this infection. The affirmative response of the lab alerted the Greek
healthcare system.

      In a period of rising uncertainty some public and private schools in Athens and
Thessaloniki decided alone to suspend their operations. And on 10 March 2020, Health Minister
Vassilis Kikilias announced the closure of all schools and universities for 14 days, a decision
which was later renewed. The next day the Greek government encouraged citizens to stay home,
replicating the Italian message ‘Io resto a Casa (I stay home). But with bars and restaurants still
open, more drastic measures were required. In particular, on 13 March 2020 the Greek
government decided to close them down along with shopping centers. Measures soon included
organized beaches and ski resorts. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted: ‘We are
closing the door to the coronavirus and staying inside as long as we can’. The tweet was
accompanied by a video in which actor Spyros Papadopoulos was urging citizens and especially
the elderly to stay home and protect themselves and others.

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On 22 March 2020 the lockdown became stricter. Addressing people in Greece,
Mitsotakis said he had instructed the relevant Ministers to take the action required to impose a
full lockdown. This was a ban on unnecessary transport and movement of people throughout
the country, effective from the day after (23 March). The Prime Minister explained that
movement in public would only allowed for those going to or returning from work and for some
other activities including shopping for food and medication, visiting a doctor or a person in
need of care and exercising either individually or in pairs. For those who were living in urban
areas one-way travel would be allowed to their permanent place of residence. The Police and
the Coast Guard and National Transparency Authority would monitor the implementation of
the measures and the fine would amount at €EUR 150.

      According to specific instructions for citizens living in Greece, there are two different
categories permitting movement and transportation. The first refers to work and is codified as
‘Type A’ transportation. The second is concerned with other activities, is named as ‘Type B’
and encompasses six different categories: 1) Going to the pharmacy or to the doctor provided
this is necessary, further to telephone consultation, 2) Going to the super market, mini market
for basic necessities, if delivery is not possible, 3) Going to the bank if the necessary transaction
is not possible online, 4) Going to assist someone in need, 5) Attending a ceremony – for
example funeral, wedding, christening – as per the relevant legislation; maintaining parent-
child contact in case of divorced or separated parents as per relevant legislation, and 6)
Exercising outdoors or walking a pet. If accompanied by another individual, then there should
be a 1.5 meters distance between the two.

      For commuting to and from the workplace at working hours, the ‘Type A’ movement
permit is fixed and is provided under the personal responsibility of the signatory by the
employer or the legal representative thereof, or in the case of a freelancer or self-employed,
themselves. For all other movement of ‘Type B’ the permit is signed by the individual and
includes the name, date of birth, home address, and time of departure of the individual, as well
as the specific reason of the transportation. There is also the possibility of sending an SMS text
message to 13033. The service is provided free of charge. The SMS should include a number
according to the six categories mentioned above. Two days after the implementation of the ban,
on 25 March 2020, the Greek Police announced that it had recorded 1,631 violations. The
majority of the violations (575) were located in Attica. Other regions included the Ionian Islands
(163), Crete (146), western Greece (117) and the Peloponnese (107).

      Another important issue for Greek authorities has been to deal with returning travelers
from other countries. In responding to the challenge of imported COVID-19 cases, they

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announced a mandatory 14 day self-quarantine on all international arrivals. Specifically,
travelers have to fill in a form stating the address of their stay for a period of two weeks along
with a contact number. The General Secretariat for Civil Protection is authorized to conduct
random telephone checks to determine whether they are complying with regulations and the
fine amounts at €5000. In one particular case, 263 passengers returning from Barcelona to
Athens on 22 March 2020, were placed in isolation in a hotel in the center of Athens. 21
passengers were tested positive for Covid-19. On the whole, the government attempted to
repatriate Greek citizens. But only citizens with ‘specific reasons’ to return to Greece have been
eligible for repatriation. These specific reasons include the need of immediate health care, lack
of accommodation following a termination of an apartment lease and transit stay in airports.

      There are two specific figures who are currently playing an important role in the Greek
fight against the novel coronavirus. The first is Representative of the Health Ministry Professor
of Medicine and Infectious Diseases Sotirios Tsiodras and the second is Deputy Minister for
Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias. Hardalias, previously appointed as
Secretary General for Civil Protection, was sworn in on 16 March 2020. Both Tsiodras and
Hardalias do participate in daily press conferences providing public opinion with information
about contagions and lockdown measures. Professor Tsiodras has been illustrated by The New
York Times as one the ‘rising heroes of the coronavirus era’. As the American newspaper
suggests, ‘by being frank, he has rallied the country behind some of the most proactive
restrictive measures in Europe, which seem to be working’.

      Although the fight against COVID-19 is ongoing and no safe conclusions can be reached
about the efficiency of Greek measures in March, optimism has been generated. In his interview
with CNN, Mitsotakis said that early measures of social-distancing could contribute to
flattening the curve. Governmental spokesman Stelios Petsas has made comparisons between
Greece and other eurozone countries. Numbers of victims (49) and overall cases (1,314) were
much lower in Greece by the end of the month indeed. Leader of the main opposition party
Alexis Tsipras, who disagrees with economic policy of the government during the pandemic,
acknowledges progress in containing the virus. Greece’s task has been even more difficult
noting that the country suffered from a serious economic crisis for a period of ten year and only
in August 2018 in managed to exit bailouts.

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Conclusion

      In the end of March Greece’s fight against COVID-19 is ongoing. Greek Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, assisted by Professor Sotirios Tsiodras and Deputy Minister for Civil
Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias, are leading the effort. Greece has been
successful in containing the virus because it decided to take social distancing measures on time.
The obligatory lockdown was entered into force on 23 March and requires from citizens to
leave their houses for specific reasons outlined in official guidelines. The majority of Greek
citizens abided by the new law, although exceptions certainly exist. The international media
has positively commented on Greece’s provisionary success in comparison to that of other
eurozone countries. By 31 March 2020, the number of victims was 49 and that of overall
infections cases 1,314. Greece’s public health fight find the two main political parties, New
Democracy and SYRIZA, in accord. April is expected to be the most important month but the
progress of March creates limited optimism.

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