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With the pandemic in full swing and most countries facing the “second wave”, not sure that they will be able to maintain the balance “large number of cases – less than the number of deaths in the spring”, and with the vaccine comes late, the dilemma of whether or not to implement a new lock is active.
The advantages are given in relation to its implementation: the freezing of social activities ultimately leads to a significant reduction in the number of new infections and significantly reduces the spread of the virus.
Disadvantages are also known: closed closures do not completely stop the exposure of vulnerable groups (such as “front line” workers or the elderly in care units if their isolation is not taken in time) and mainly lead to a crisis unprecedented financial crisis, leading to the collapse of GDP and the threat of mass unemployment, while also leading to a decrease in commitment to all other diseases. Together they create conditions that in the end will also lead to loss of life, even if no daily statistics will be published.
This dilemma is active in our country and returns to the forefront through the increase in cases, the increase in COVID-19 patients who are in ICU and the increase in deaths. In fact, in our country it acquires an additional dimension, since our country in the “first wave” by choosing a blockade that was implemented before there was a great spread of the virus, kept the pandemic under control, with the results visible even after of the reopening of the economy. Essentially, in a way, we now have the experience of a massive dispersal that other countries had already experienced (and in a much more tragic way) already in the spring.
Government fears of a new blockade and anxiety over cases
The government and prime minister, although they experienced a successful shutdown in the spring, at least in terms of limiting the spread and avoiding testing health system resources, know that it cannot be easily repeated, as they have a picture of the cost. that had. Suffice it to say that together with the global recession we had an impressive recession in the second quarter, while even with the partial opening of the economy and tourism a major recession is expected in the third quarter, in an economy that has been affected since memorandum days. In other words, there was a risk of a huge wave of job losses and business closures. And of course, there were a host of other societal issues, including the high risk of schools being closed, even with distance learning techniques essentially meaning a lost year. Furthermore, society’s compliance with an even more restrictive model was not a given, posing the risk that a significant part of the state mechanism would be primarily concerned with the implementation of restrictions. 
All this explains why the government does not want to elect a new blockade now. Of course, at the same time there is a real fear. The dispersion is at a high level and there is concern of how much it will increase as fall progresses and we will have objectively more coloration indoors. The healthcare system is not a given that can withstand a really big wave of serious incidents. The number of victims continues to rise, in a pandemic that even in countries that “did relatively well” had a much higher mortality than Greece. There is anxiety that a peak pandemic could have the destructive effects of panic.
And, of course, alongside the worry is a sense of political cost. While the government has grown politically stronger since the first phase of the pandemic, it is now beginning to experience the first signs of growing discontent. The widespread feeling that the time gained with the spring closure to support the health system, dispersed routes and public transport congestion, especially in Athens, the 26 and 27 students per department in various schools and in the rooms that do not They allow dilution, the feeling of inconsistency, the advertisements to cover an already large number of available ICUs, all of this had a negative impact on the government.
Government gambling: the massive change in attitudes
In this context, the government seems to favor instead of horizontal measures the attempt to consolidate massive changes in behavior in the triptych “personal hygiene – masks – distances”, in combination with massive telework and the restriction of massive cultural and recreational activities.
In fact, these measures affect the perception that the pandemic cannot be suppressed, but that the rate of spread can be significantly controlled so that the health system does not reach its limits and the risk of exposure of the vulnerable is reduced, without ” Freeze “economic activity and an important part of social activity.
This may be due to the use of a mask indoors, the dilution of painting spaces in various ways, restrictions in dining rooms, the dilution of the public in various cultural activities. This is due to teleworking or measures such as the gradual movement of people to and from work during the day.
These measures may not be as effective as universal bans, but advocates say they could help reduce the rate of dispersal and provide adequate protection for the vulnerable, whether in shelters such as nursing homes or homes. , to keep incidents low and serious. 
But these measures to be implemented have a basic condition: they require a massive modification of behavior that cannot simply be based on a set of prohibitions. The use of the mask in all closed public spaces, the avoidance of very massive concentrations even in homes, the courageous application of teleworking in all places where this is possible, the adjustment of schedules is not consolidated with fines. Not even with the messages from the patrol cars in the squares. And there is certainly no need for “moral” complaints about the “irresponsibility” of citizens.
They demand what we would call the active consent of the citizenry, that is, their implementation on their own initiative and with the conscious will to implement them. Otherwise, they run the risk of putting plans on paper.
The Prime Minister tried to address this element, essentially asking for the support of the Measures Society as the only way to avoid quarantine and re-lockdown.
Will the government keep its commitments?
The question, of course, is what will happen to government commitments. For there to be an active consensus on massive behavior change, the people of the country must have a “sense of security” that the government is also taking action. Let’s not forget that part of the concern now has to do with the situation in the hospitals, the situation in the schools or the images of the Athens Metro.
The Prime Minister tried to give guarantees both for the strengthening of the NSS and for the increase of the ICU and the increase of buses. However, it is clear that we are far from feeling that the State has assumed its share of responsibility.
And this is the great challenge but also the great difficulty. If the government could announce a really big increase in ICU, having made the necessary appointments of nursing staff, if it had made appointments of teachers or even hired substitutes to implement the 15 children per department that actually allow dilution, if it is already done. would have assured. Much busier bus routes and the implementation of safety measures in the workplace could, much more easily, require citizens to make a decisive contribution to the fight against the pandemic with those behavioral changes that will avoid a new lockdown.
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