Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis invoked the hand of God in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak in the east Mediterranean country, in an interview with Greece’s biggest-selling Sunday weekly, Proto Thema, while also referring to the extensive preventative measures and guidelines issued to prevent a northern Italy-like epidemic.
Mitsotakis said the coming month will be difficult for residents in Greece, and that the primary goal is to prevent deaths.
Additionally, the center-right prime minister, whose seen his personal approval ratings and that of his government skyrocket in the wake of successfully preventing the mass entry of third country nationals at the Evros border this months, incursions egged on by the official Turkish state, called on the faithful to avoid mass assemblies at churches.
“I also went and lit a candle, but alone,” he characteristically said.
In a related development, Mitsotakis spoke by phone over the weekend with Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos, with press reports saying the Greek premier advised that places of worship remain open only for individual worship and for sacraments – namely, funerals – to be conducted with a minimum of congregants.
An extraordinary Holy Synod session of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece will convene on Monday to decide on further preventative measures, as churches and chapels have remained opened and services conducted.
Greece moved closer to full lockdown on Sunday, due to an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, with related deaths reaching four and the number of infected persons exceeding 230.