Greece has cancelled the traditional parades to celebrate the National OXI Day due to the pandemic. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Monday that with decision of the prime minister, the parades by students and military forces in Thessaloniki on October 28, 2020, will be cancelled.
The decision to cancel the parades was expected as the country experiences a resurgence of the coronavirus. On so-called OXI Day, Greece celebrates the country’s resistance to the Axis Forces.
It should be recalled that also the parades on the National Day on March 25th were cancelled due to the virus.
“It is now clear that a second wave of the pandemic has already occurred in our country and throughout Europe, which is reflected in the number of cases, intubations and, unfortunately, deaths,” Petsas said during the briefing on Monday.
“The wave is of even greater concern as we approach the period of closed spaces and seasonal viruses,” he added.
At the same time, he said that Greece is “still doing much better than many other European countries,” and underlined that ‘vigilance is needed, though, not complacency, because the picture can easily change dramatically.”
Cases in social care units, such as nursing homes, but also in workplaces, where transmission is taking place at a rapidly increasing rate, further highlight the importance of individual responsibility, adherence to protocols, the faithful implementation of the measures recommended by experts and imposed by the state, the government spokesman said.
“It is the only way to avoid stricter restrictive measures, but also to avoid the worst,” he added.
Eleven Covid-19 patients lost their lives over the weekend, raising death toll to 409. In the last couple of months, the number of coronavirus-related deaths doubled when compared to the first wave of the pandemic.
More information on coronavirus in Greece here.
