Mitsotakis: Lockdown throughout Greece until November 30

The Prime Minister announced a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, from the morning of Saturday, November 7, until the 30th of the month.

“I have chosen a different way of communication today and I am here with Professor Tsiodras to show that the scientific data is a guide in whatever decisions we take”, Mr. Mitsotakis said in the beginning. “I know there are questions and worries and anxieties about the financial implications. I and Mr. Tsiodras will try to give convincing answers”, he continued.

“We want the people to be our allies in this great effort. We are a team and we must continue to show this spirit of solidarity that we showed in the first phase of the pandemic. We will focus on the scientific facts today, because I have to take them into account and they should not be the subject of controversy. Political decisions are made by the government and I take responsibility”, he noted.

“From 6 in the morning on Saturday” announced Mr. Mitsotakis, “we are entering a lockdown for three weeks, which will look like but will not be the same as in March. SMS, open supermarkets and health structures are reactivated,” he underlined. Kindergartens, elementary schools and special education schools will remain open. High-schools, which will operate under e-learning, will be closed.

“Why the measures now? The answer is very clear. In the last five days we have seen an exponential increase in cases. We approached it on an overall level of cases. We have seen an increase in hospitalizations, in the intubated, a bad ratio of admissions-discharges in hospitals. If we continued at this pace, we would have to accept in 10 days more than 1.000 of our fellow citizens, of whom 150 would have to be taken to the ICU”, the Prime Minister explained.