Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will make important announcements regarding the coronavirus pandemic Thursday noon, his office announced early Wednesday evening. The Prime Minister will not address the nation via televised message as usual but he will be in a live press conference. Also present at the presser will be the country’s top epidemiologist, Professor for Infectious Diseases, Sotiris Tsiodras. Media scenarios claim a second lockdown for the country.
The announcement is scheduled for 12 o’ clock noon, Thursday, November 5, 2020.
The press conference, rather rare by the Prime Minister, has triggered several scenarios, with media to speak of a full lockdown in Attica or even a nationwide lockdown.
According to media, the country’s scientists at the infectious disease committee have recommended to the Prime Minister a nationwide lockdown in a last-ditch effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Daily cases in Athens/Attica as well as in the rest of the country have dramatically increased in the last ten days. According to state broadcaster ERT TV, recorded increase is by 40%.
Greece’s broke one more negative record on Wednesday with 2.646 new cases and 179 Covid-19 patients intubated.
The pressure on the public health care system that is solely in charge of Covid-19 patients is immense.
Deputy Health Minister Kontozamanis said during a live briefing on Tuesday that there were 40 ICU beds for Covid-19 empty in Attica and 20 in Thessaloniki.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said earlier on Wednesday, that a lockdown in Attica was “far away.”
A third scenario currently circulating is to ban inter-regional traveling, especially with regards to the “red” regional units.
According to latest information by ERT, the PM is holding a teleconference with epidemiologists and health officials Wednesday evening and he will take the decisions short before the press conference on Thursday.
More on coronavirus in Greece here.
PS The PM and the government have often reiterated that they wanted to avoid a nationwide lockdown but apparently the virus is stronger than their wishes given the fact that they failed to strengthen the health care system and the public transport means in time, impose the mandatory use of mask in-and outdoors earlier and prohibit with consequence religious and other gatherings.
