Greece’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been praised globally.

The government urged the people to “stay home” imposing strict measures and the people complied, successfully.

However, as case numbers are kept at a low level at an even lower level the country’s severely hit economy struggles to survive 10 years after the economic crisis that affected the entire European Union.

Greece is once again confronted with a recession, predicted to be the toughest in living memory.

As a result, the government is switching to a “stay safe” campaign easing restrictions and relying on people’s “individual responsibility”, something that worries health professionals, authorities and government officials.

“The consequences of this coronavirus attack will undoubtedly be dramatic,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Parliament adding that “We know with certainty that (the recession) will be deep… we don’t know how long the health crisis will last, we don’t yet know if we’ll have tourism.”

With temperatures rising but no sign of international travel in sight, one of Greece’s main sources of revenue along with shipping, tourism, suffers.

Businesses urge the government to allow international travel in July and open the country’s borders.

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While funds are running at an all-time low, Greece adopted measures worth 17.5 billion euros, 10 per cent of its national output, to support businesses and employees. EU funds, will see the package reach 24 billion euros, according the to Prime Minister.

“Where is this money? It’s good for announcements but actual businesses and (employees) have not received a single euro,” former prime minister Alexis Tsipras argued warning that layoffs will soon be “out of control”.

Meanwhile, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has announced its first round of grants under its $100 million Global Relief Initiative to help alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of $31 million focus on food, mental health, and health needs in some of the hardest hit regions of the United States and Europe, as well as worldwide, and on aiding health care staff on the front lines in Greece.

“We cannot overstate the impact of the pandemic on society at large, and we owe our deepest gratitude to those who continue, in spite of the immense challenges they face daily, to serve the most vulnerable among us,” said SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos.

On a more positive note, of the 2,612 cases Greece has recorded to date, half have 1,374 recovered with 1,098 still active.

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