Let's hold on to our gains, Petsas says regarding coronavirus effort
"Without strict measures we would now be experiencing tragic moments," he said, and added that "with the measures we have taken, we have stopped the virus. Let's hold on to our gains. If we ease up, we will pay for it."
Petsas stressed that "the government is stepping up its action along the axes set out from the beginning: stopping the spread of the virus, strengthening the health system and supporting the economy and improving the daily lives of citizens."
He also said that "the government's operational plan at this stage focuses on critical social groups who need to be protected against the increased risk of the spread of coronavirus, such as the homeless or those with addictions."
Regarding the health system, the government spokesperson noted that the work to reinforce it was continuing intensively, throught the recruitment of medical and nursing staff, additional intensive care unit staff and the provision of significant medical supplies. He said that the ICUs had been increased from 565 two and a half months ago, to 910 at present. At the same time, the hiring of 4,824 doctors, nurses and other health personnel had been approved, while 2,312 of them have already been hired.
On actions taken to support the economy, he noted that "tomorrow's Eurogroup is particularly important. Greece's positions are known, as they have been stated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a joint letter with other leaders to the President of the European Council. We expect a common policy in order to finance the necessary actions for all the member-states of the European Union, with low-interest rates and non-binding terms."
At the same time, he noted that "however, we welcome the fact that initiatives have already been taken at a European level."
Source: ana-mna