COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
The COVID-19 pandemic in Greece was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case in Greece was confirmed on 26 February 2020 when a 38-year-old woman from Thessaloniki who had recently visited Νorthern Italy, was confirmed to be infected. Subsequent cases in late February and early March related to people who had travelled to Italy and a group of pilgrims who had travelled to Israel and Egypt, as well as their contacts. The first death from COVID-19 in Greece was a 66-year-old man, who died on 12 March. Since the opening of the Greek borders to tourists at the end of June 2020, the daily number of confirmed cases announced has included those detected following tests at the country's entry points.
COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
Greece
Wuhan, Hubei, China
26 February 2020
(4 years, 1 month and 4 weeks)
5,629,524[1]
6,064,290 reported[2]
38,991[1]
0.69%
Following the confirmation of the first three cases in Greece, all carnival events in the country were cancelled on 27 February 2020. Health and state authorities issued precautionary guidelines and recommendations, while measures up to early March were taken locally and included the closure of schools and the suspension of cultural events in the affected areas (particularly Ilia, Achaea and Zakynthos). On 10 March, with 89 confirmed cases and no deaths in the country, the government decided to suspend the operation of educational institutions of all levels nationwide and then, on 13 March, to close down all cafes, sports leagues bars, museums, shopping centres, sports facilities and restaurants in the country. On 16 March, all retail shops were also closed and all services in all areas of religious worship of any religion or dogma were suspended. The government has announced a series of measures worth a total of around 24 billion euros, 14% of the country's GDP, to support the economy.[3]
On 22 March, the Greek authorities announced restrictions on all non-essential movement throughout the country, starting from 6 a.m. on 23 March. From that date, movement outside the house was permitted only for seven categories of reasons: i) moving to or from one's workplace during work hours, ii) going to the pharmacy or visiting a doctor iii) going to a food store iv) going to the bank for services not possible online, v) assisting a person in need of help vi) going to a major ritual (funeral, marriage, baptism) or movement, for divorced parents, which is essential for contact with their children, and vii) moving outdoors for exercising or taking one's pet out, individually or in pairs. Citizens leaving their homes are required to carry their police ID or passport, as well as a signed attestation in which the purpose or category of travel is stated. The Hellenic Police, the Municipal Police, the Hellenic Coast Guard and the National Transparency Authority are empowered to enforce the restrictions and can issue fines for each offence. On 4 April, these restrictions were extended until 27 April, and on 23 April, they were again extended until 4 May.[4][5]
The measures put in place in Greece are among the most proactive and strictest in Europe and have been credited internationally for having slowed the spread of the disease and having kept the number of deaths among the lowest in Europe.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
Starting from 4 May 2020, after a 42-day lockdown, Greece began to gradually lift restrictions on movement and to restart business activity.
Greece put in place new measures and restrictions on movement and business activity from 7 November 2020. Kindergartens, primary schools and special schools initially remained open, unlike the first lockdown in March, while middle and high schools switched to distance learning.[12] On 14 November 2020, primary schools and kindergartens closed, initially for two weeks, and from 18 November 2020, they switched to distance learning. On 20 November 2020, Greece overtook China in terms of the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. The country reached 100,000 cases on 27 November.
On 14 December 2020, shops (utilizing the click away method)[13] as well as hairdressers and other facilities were allowed to open, while schools and restaurants remained closed. Two weeks later, on 28 December, Greece overtook China in terms of the number of deaths from COVID-19. At the end of 2020, there were nearly 140,000 cases and about 4,800 deaths in the country. On 2 January 2021, starting from the next day, all the measures lifted or relaxed on 14 December were reinstated until 18 January, citing the opening of schools as reason for these measures.[14] However, the government's planned reopening of all schools on 8 or 11 January was criticised by many epidemiologists in the country and, in the end, only primary schools reopened on 11 January,[15] with secondary schools reopening on 1 February.
In late January 2021, case numbers increased. On 12 February 2021, Attica was again placed in lockdown with the closure of lower schools (high schools had already been closed since early November) and retail outlets, but virus cases continued their rapid growth reaching 3,215 on 9 March. Local lockdowns were imposed in more and more local districts. On 4 March, new measures were taken, including placing all of Greece in the highest level of measures. On 5 March, Greece reached 200,000 cases. Approximately half of the prefectures were in the deep red level (full closure of all schools and retail outlets), and on 12 March, all schools were closed for two weeks.[16] The COVID-19 death toll in the country exceeded 10,000 on 25 April. On 3 May, the lockdown ended and measures eased, and on 14 May, Greece, including islands, opened for tourists from several countries.[17] The country reached 300,000 cases on 13 April, 400,000 on 30 May, 500,000 on 3 August, 600,000 on 6 September, 700,000 on 19 October, 800,000 on 9 November, 900,000 on 24 November and a million on 12 December. By the end of 2021, there had been about 1.2 million cases and nearly 21,000 deaths in Greece.
Background[edit]
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[18][19]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[20][21] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[22][20] On 28 July it was reported that the reproduction number R for Greece was stable at 0.4,[23] but reportedly R rose to 1.0 in early August.[24]
Impact[edit]
Economic[edit]
Greece's tourism industry has been negatively impacted by the crisis, and a 9.7% economic contraction has been predicted for the fiscal year 2020, but demand from home purchases from residents of other European countries has increased as many properties have become available as a result of Greece's economic difficulties. Up to 65% of Greek hotels, including many investment grade properties and commercial developments on Crete, Corfu and Rhodes, are expected to face bankruptcy under current conditions. It's estimated that German property investments in Greece have increased by 50%, especially in the Peloponnese and islands like Crete, Corfu, Karpathos and Amorgos. Greece's successful handling of the pandemic with fewer than 200 deaths and only 3,826 total reported cases has been one of the factors driving the demand for property purchases from other European nations.[486]
Controversies and criticism[edit]
Religious services and Holy Communion controversy[edit]
On 9 March 2020, the Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the country's established Eastern Orthodox Church, discussed the coronavirus epidemic and issued an encyclical that was sent to the dioceses of the Church of Greece. Having stated that the Holy Communion could by no means be a way of transmission of diseases, the Standing Synod decided to continue offering and receiving the Holy Communion.[599][600][601] The Synod's decision sparked controversy.[602][603] The Synod's stance prompted criticism from the opposition Syriza party, with former prime minister Alexis Tsipras criticising the hierarchy, as did former health minister Pavlos Polakis.[603] Some high-profile Greek medical doctors publicly supported the continuation of practicing Holy Communion, drawing criticism from the Greek Association of Hospital Doctors.[604]
On 11 March, the prime minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a nationally televised address, told the public to follow the instructions of doctors and experts, and the Church of Greece to cooperate in enforcing the public health regulations.[605] Two days later, the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Ieronymos stated that the Church agreed with and would implement the public health precautionary measures taken by the national authorities.[606]
On 16 March, after having been briefed by infectious disease spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras, the Church's Standing Synod decided to suspend all public services except Divine Liturgies on Sundays, which were to be held as usual between 7 and 8 o'clock in the morning; weddings and baptisms were suspended, funerals were to be held with only the immediate family present; churches were to remain open for private prayer.[607][608] Following the Synod's decision, the Greek prime minister announced the government's decision to suspend services in all areas of religious worship of any religion or dogma from 16 to 30 March,[609] effectively suspending Sunday Divine Liturgies for that period too.[610]
On 1 April, the Standing Synod of the Church of Greece issued a statement that urged the faithful to abide by the government's sanitary regulations and to refrain from attending services in churches; it also re-affirmed its stance on the Holy Communion set out in the statement of 9 March 2020 and expressed hope that solemn public celebration of Easter (Pascha), which would properly be on 19 April, could be performed on the night of 26 May, the eve of the Leave-Taking (Apodosis) of Pascha.[611][612]
On 18 April, some churches in Athens were opened by the priests to offer services to worshippers. Elsewhere in Athens, some Orthodox believers protested against the closing of the churches and hammered on the church doors. 18 of them were arrested by the police. In the island of Corfu, the local Orthodox bishop, who had opposed government measures to halt the spread of coronavirus, invited the local mayor and citizens to take part in a closed-door service.[613]
As part of the four risk categories introduced from 12 October, different rules on seating and distancing between worshippers were applied to places of worship in each regional unit depending on its risk category.[513] As of November 2020, the Orthodox church practice of believers receiving wine from the same spoon during Holy Communion, has not changed.[614]
Ban on 17 November 'Polytechnic' March[edit]
On 14 November, the Greek Chief of Police, announced a ban on gatherings of more than three people throughout the country, from 15 November until 18 November. In Greece, 17 November ordinarily commemorates the Polytechnic uprising of November 1973. On 15 November 2020 the Association of Judges and Prosecutors of Greece said that such a general ban on gatherings was unconstitutional as it conflicts with article 11 of the Greek Constitution and asked that it be revoked. Their statement did not oppose more specific bans and continued "The State must protect public health in the face of a pandemic, without exceeding the limits of the rule of law".[615] Left-wing opposition parties SYRIZA, Communist Party of Greece and MERA25 condemned the police order as unconstitutional, authoritarian and undemocratic and demanded its withdrawal. The Communist Party of Greece invited MPs and its members to participate in the march, contrary to the police ban, while MERA25 advised their members to stay home due to the pandemic and let the party's MP's represent them in the march.[616][617][618][619] The Secretary of MERA25, Giannis Varoufakis, announced that he had a telephone conversation with the Minister of Civil Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, who announced that any members of the Greek Parliament participating in the march on the anniversary of the Polytechnic Uprising would be arrested.[620]
Delays in drug approvals[edit]
According to complaints from the former Deputy Minister of Health and surgeon-intensivist, Pavlos Polakis and the president of the far-right Greek Solution party, Kyriakos Velopoulos, the Greek government delayed approving potentially important drugs against COVID-19 such as Colchicine and the use of Monoclonal antibodies. According to the complaints, although the effective use of Colchicine was discovered by Greek scientists, the Greek government approved the drug in January 2021 with a delay of 5 months, while until February 2021 it has not approved the use of Monoclonal Antibodies. According to complaints by opposition figures, the use of these drugs is very useful as Greek society has been exhausted by the health measures of the Mitsotakis government.[621][622]
Control of the media and claims of censorship[edit]
Since its election in July 2019, the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been criticised by the opposition for its privileged relations with the media, such as democratic backsliding. During the first phase of the epidemic, the government allocated a total of 20 million euros for a state advertising campaign on TV channels, newspapers and news websites to promote the quarantine that had been imposed.[623] The spending was criticised by the opposition in the parliament that mentioned also the exclusion of media outlets which were not supportive of the government ("Petsas list").[624][625][626] On 30 November 2020, the Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourová stated that same phenomena, regarding the funding of government-friendly media, are also observed in Hungary, Slovenia and Poland.[627]
In addition, there were complaints that the Greek government tried to silence critical views from journalists regarding the strictness of the quarantine. A typical example is the non-broadcasting of a scheduled and videotaped journalistic TV show presented by Antonis Schroeter on the ALPHA TV station on 29 October 2020. The show was about the so-called conspiracy theories about COVID-19. The show hosted the views of Nikolaos Sypsas, a professor of infectious diseases, member of the committee of the Greek Ministry of Health and advocate of extreme and harsh restrictive measures, and from the other hand the professor of pediatrics Ioannis Kavaliotis and the musician Grigoris Petrakos who are against the harsh measures of the Greek Government.[628]
The Greek Government also has been accused of launching an attack against internet and social network users who publish dissenting views regarding government measures against COVID-19. Specifically, it is claimed that the Cybercrime Prosecution of the Greek Police has been ordered to monitor conversations and posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networks in order to identify people who express disagreement with government measures. Those who are detected will face immediate arrest and a maximum imprisonment of three years if convicted. 44 cases[629] had already been filed by 24 September 2020.[630][631]
Proposal for a European vaccination certificate[edit]
The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on 11 January 2021, asking her to apply a pan-European vaccination certificate for COVID-19 so that Europeans could travel. The World Health Organization expressed its opposition to such a possibility, as there was a shortage of vaccines worldwide and the effectiveness of vaccines had not yet been established. The first negative reaction from leaders of European Union countries to the Mitsotakis proposal came from the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who characterized the Mitsotakis proposal as divisive, stating that a vaccination certificate can not be related to travel and that such a certificate would divide the citizens of Europe. France expressed reservations about Mitsotakis' proposal, with France's Minister for European Affairs stating that France was very cautious about the certificate and that the proposal was too early.[632][633][634][635]