Majority of Greeks are concerned about the coronavirus pandemic in the country after the opening of the borders and the increase of new infections. According to a public opinion survey conducted by PULSE on behalf of Skai TV, 64% of respondents have expressed concern.
6 out of 10 Greeks stated that they are “very” or “quite” worried after the opening of the borders for the tourist season.
64% of respondents expressed “concern”, with 34% of them saying they worry “a lot” and 30% to have said “enough.”
In contrast,, 18% said they are “moderately” concerned, while only 11% stated that they are “little”, “barely” or not at all.
The rate of concerned Greeks, 64%, is much higher than in the previous poll by the same company in early June, when in the same question the rate reached only 44%.
New coronavirus cases have been constantly on the rise since beginning of the week, not only among travellers arriving through the Promachonas border-crossing with Bulgaria, but also in the local population in Macedonia and Thrace in the North as well as in Attica.
Greece is considering new measures and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for an extraordinary meeting with ministers and health experts on Friday morning.
PS of course, one should not blame the borders opening for the increase but also the local population for behaving as if there was no pandemic, as well as the government for having eased more and more restrictions, while it seems to have relaxed its control mechanisms and information campaigns thus shifting its focus to other agenda.
My experience as a brit living on a small island is that talking to people, especially young people, they don’t believe that the virus exists and it is all made up , there is no social distancing here nobody using the hand sanitisers and the waiters are wearing the masks around their necks.Greece beware.