Prime Minister Kyriakos
Mitsotakis announced on Thursday a three-week nationwide lockdown due to the large increase of coronavirus
cases and the pressure on the Greek healthcare system. The lockdown imposed on the whole country will
start at 6.00 am on Saturday, 7th November 2020 and will last
until the 30th November, the
Prime Minister added.
Citizens will have to send “SMSs” to the number “13033” in
order to leave their homes. Mandatory
use of masks indoors and outdoors and
one is only allowed to go to supermarkets and pharmacies.
The difference to the first lockdown, last spring, is that kindergartens
and elementary schools will remain open.
Gymnasiums and lyceums will shut down and education will continue via
e-learning courses.
Regarding financial measures to support those affected by the
lockdown, the Prime Minister announced that in “suspendable work contract will receive 800
euros instead of 534 euros at the beginning of December. The long-term unemployed will receive financial aid of 400 euros unemployment allowances which are extended for two months,
November and December. “We want the citizens
as allies in this great effort”, said Mr Mitsotakis.
Justifying the reason for not waiting for the restrictions
imposed on the 3rd November to bring results, the Prime Minister
said that “an aggressive increase of infections has been recorded in the last
five days, and we can’t wait and take the risk on the healthcare system.”
Greece’s top epidemiologist, Professor for Infection Diseases,
Sotiris Tsiordas, who was present at the conference with the Prime Minister,
said, “We were surprised with the infections to increase in the last five days”.
On Wednesday, Greece hit a “triple record” with 4.800 new
cases, 18 deaths within 24 hours and the number of intubated with COVID – 19 reached
179, decreasing the number of ICU beds. The
pandemic curve shows that Greece has exceeded 1.600 daily cases”, Tsiodras said,
adding that the coronavirus infections have increased since the end of October Regarding
the age groups, he said that there have been 1.000 high risk groups infected in the last 7
days. “Since September 10th , the rate of positive tests exceed 9%”,
he added.
Head of Civil Protection, Nikos Hardalias, will specify the lockdown
restrictions at 6.00 pm on Thursday. KIG
will report about them later, including the SMS options guide, travel between
regions, hours of night curfew etc.
Finance Minister, Mr. Staikouras, will announce the economic
measures to supports business and workers, at 3.00 pm today.
This lockdown was essential due to the irresponsibility of
certain Greek citizens who refused to ware masks, crowded in public transport
means without keeping distances and attended parties which to have taken place.
Incidentally, very strict fines are imposed on people refusing to obey the government’s orders like curfew, wearing masks and keeping distances. Apparently, 150 euro fines were handed to people who violated the curfew, while 1.741 received a 150 euro fine for not wearing masks and keeping the necessary distances
LET US ALL BE SANE TO REMAIN SAFE.
A few words about the term lockdown.
"Lock" is an old Germanic word for a lock or other fastening mechanism or a space locked by such a mechanism, which is why in modern English is also a barrier in a canal. To "lock in" (a person in a chamber) or to "lock up" (the door itself) date from the 15th and 16th centuries, but "lockdown" is much more recent.
It was in the 1970s that "lockdown" began to mean an extended state of confinement for inmates of prisons or psychiatric hospitals, and thereafter any period of enforced isolation for security. Originally, in 19th century America "lockdown" was a strip of wood that secured the poles of a raft together when timber was transported by rivers. According to the Guardian, "It is a wistful irony that our present condition is named after a mechanism that once ensured the reliability of travel."
(I wish to thank the Guardian and Wikipedia for the above information)
No comments:
Post a Comment