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Koronovios: Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his discussion with historian Yuval Noah Harari at the 2020 Athens Democracy Forum on Saturday morning, he referred to the possibility of imposing a new Lockdown on Greece.
«There is general agreement among European countries that it is very difficult, almost unthinkable, to move to a second general blockade“Said the Greek prime minister.
For the management of pandemics and personal data
«“It is not possible to have a policeman next to each citizen to check whether or not he is wearing a mask,” said the prime minister.
“As for the ‘Greek experiment’, we would not be successful in coping with the first wave of the pandemic “If we hadn’t been able to involve the people more actively and build a relationship of trust between the government – I mean the state and not necessarily the elected government – and the people,” he said.
“It was not easy because we were emerging from ten years of crisis, all the institutions were tested, but we managed to create a sense of collective destiny, which generated changes in individual behavior. Something that, as you will understand, is quite difficult to achieve and will never be fully enforced. We use technology in a very creative way. When, for example, we ask citizens to send telephone messages asking us never to leave their home, it could be argued that it is the imposition of a surveillance state. However, we delete all data. We clarify that this is a collective empowerment mechanism rather than a method, so that we have access to information about citizens and monitor them where they are. You realize that when it comes to behavior problems. It is not possible to have a police officer by your side to check whether you are wearing a mask or not. That is why changes in individual behavior are crucial, but to achieve this the options cannot be political: wearing a mask is not only an act of self-defense but also an act of solidarity by protecting other people, especially your family, and that we know that the greatest transmission occurs within families. So, it is an action to protect those you love the most. “I strongly believe that we can use data openly and publicly and help us make knowledge-based decisions.”
By the possibility of a new blockade
“When the first wave of the pandemic occurred, we didn’t know much about the virus. So the decision was clear. We went to the confinement. We made the decision very, very early and it was clearly the right decision after we managed to fight the virus in this first wave. And we knew it was the right decision at the time because we needed time to learn more about the virus and strengthen the health system. We also knew it would have painful economic consequences, although in a globalized world, countries that did not initially choose to close, such as Sweden, ultimately paid the economic price. But I think that there is a generalized agreement between European countries, which is very difficult, almost unthinkable to move to a second general blockade. We use more local locks, smart tracking, bulk testing. But there is another question mark. And the question mark is: Can we live with the virus and manage to maintain normal economic activity without a complete lockdown and without putting a lot of pressure on the health system? “I don’t think anyone has the answer yet, because we have three or four very difficult months ahead of us,” the Prime Minister clarified.
«But I hope and am optimistic that we will not have to take more drastic measures than we are already taking. But if one asks whether this can be said with certainty, the answer is clearly “no”. In terms of financial support, in Greece we support the income of almost everyone, including the private sector, and we make it clear that we must support the weakest, the most affected, the low-income or employees of the tourism sector. And we can only do that for a while, but we can’t do it forever. So we look very carefully at the numbers as we enter fall and winter. We are lucky in Greece, because we will be away for quite a while yet, but look, countries like Israel, for example, that did extremely well in the first wave but are now facing a big boom and realize how unpredictable that are the things. There is the element of chance, where you can have 2-3 cases of over-transmission and make a difference.“, Also mentioned.
For Donald Trump’s illness
“I wish President Trump and his wife all the best in the fight against the virus. If there is one thing I hold back from this sad assumption it is that the virus does not discriminate, does not exclude anyone, it can affect us all. Wearing a mask is not a political declaration, it is an act of self-protection but also of solidarity, since it protects others, especially your family, because we know that most of the transmissions take place inside the home. Therefore, it is an act of protection of the that you love, ”Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
“I firmly believe in the value of history”
The prime minister noted that Greece managed to build a relationship of trust between the State and citizens, which contributed decisively to the very good performance of the country during the first wave of Covid-19.
Responding to a question about the possibility of authoritarian regimes emerging in the future as a result of the health crisis, he noted that “The great challenge is the reinvention of the State within the framework of democracy.”
“The pandemic has shown that the State is important and especially in times of crisis it has a great role to play, it cannot be replaced by individual free will or by markets. That, I think, was a clear lesson from the pandemic. I firmly believe in the value of history. If one wants to read a text that is relevant, given the context, one can look at the Epitaph of Pericles, which was written when democratic Athens was plagued with plague. “It is an exceptional compliment to the strength of the Republic in times of crisis,” underlined the Greek Prime Minister.
How the pandemic accelerated digital transformation and the fight against bureaucracy
“COVID is a digital accelerator. We have been able to provide digital services by doing in weeks what we could not do for decades. It is clear that we have worked hard to transform the state and I believe that the digital revolution is the only way to break down traditional bureaucratic structures. And we managed to start this type of process of redesigning the State using digital tools, something that is highly valued by citizens, it is a non-ideological approach that is really attractive to young people and that fights a bureaucracy that is holding Greece back for a long time. many years. “I would say that it is an opportunity to take a leap to overcome other countries, because we are doing it with great intensity and the impact can be very significant.”
“We are oriented to reform”
“I believe that the Republic has the ability to correct itself, we saw it in Greece. After ten years of populism, we now have a liberal, moderate and reformist government that wants to make big changes and enjoys great popular support. After ten years of crisis and experimentation with populists, in our case of the left, Greek society was prepared and through open democratic procedures it chose to show us its confidence. In three years we will go to the polls again and if they are satisfied with us, citizens will vote for us again, if not, they will choose something else. That is the beauty of democracy and its ability to correct itself. “
On the possibility that citizens of other countries work remotely and live in Greece: “If you could not only live but also work from anywhere, you would not prefer to work from here, from Greece, from a Greek island, if you have connectivity, safety and good health? Not only am I inviting someone to come to Greece, but I am explaining why Greece has a significant competitive advantage in this new and changing world. Because aspects such as quality of life are now considered much more important as a result from the COVID-caused reorganizations. There will be winners and losers, there will not only be losers as a result of the COVID-caused turmoil … And my responsibility, as Prime Minister of Greece, is to ensure that we belong to those who will come out stronger from the pandemic. ‘
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