Editorial Ta Nea: Public health alarm bell
The state is not even considering the reinstatement of the mandatory wearing of masks in schools, where we have seen a major surge in Covid-19, flu, and cases of other infections.
The state is not even considering the reinstatement of the mandatory wearing of masks in schools, where we have seen a major surge in Covid-19, flu, and cases of other infections.
The extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant all over the planet has made clear that vaccination is not enough. The unvaccinated will get sick or die, but the vaccinated can also be infected.
We see irresponsible behaviours and an attitude that the virus is no longer with us, even though there is a very high number of infections, deaths, and intubations in the sorely tested and exhausted NHS.
The vaccination rollout must be expedited because that is necessary in order to build a wall of defence and immunity without which the National Health System cannot endure.
Tourism, which generates a fifth of Greece’s GDP and one in five jobs, is vital for an economy which had climbed out of a decade-long slump only to slip back due to the pandemic.
Once again at a critical juncture in the life of our nation the prevailing environment is one of sterile political rivalries and irrational and often untimely demands.
We hold the keys to our freedom in our own hands. The decisions we make every day, combined with the slow but steady vaccination rollout, is the decisive factor in managing the pandemic.
The example of Portugal and the threat of a third wave are very much with us and jeopardise the enormous efforts made by societies so far.
Greece’s National Public Health Organization (EODY) data show there are even 18-year old patients suffering from COVID-19 who are intubated in hospital ICUs.
Moreover, it is unacceptable that parties and individuals make incredibly far-fetched accusations about the alleged existence of a junta, or about a derailment of democracy
The insistence of certain political forces that 17 November commemorative gatherings and marches should take place imperils public health.
There is an urgent need to strictly enforce the lockdown. This is not based on an assumption of the government but rather on the scientific facts presented by virologists.
With the images of crowding and laxity in summer vacation resorts experts had no doubt either about the advent of a second wave or about the results of such reckless behaviour.
According to the proponents of the hard line if current measures prove inadequate there is a greater likelihood of a derailment of the situation with a higher chance of a general lockdown
The dilemma “economy or public health” has returned to the forefront in a dramatic fashion as not only did the “invisible enemy” not retreat over the summer but rather it returned with even greater force
Fragile societies such as Greece’s which remained standing after the first coronavirus wave must now shield themselves against an onslaught of recession and unemployment.
The government advisory scientific panel based on the data, new knowledge, and the deep conviction that the disease is receding approved the gradual lifting of the pandemic lockdown.
The economic toll arising from the pandemic will be higher for Greece than for other EU countries because it relies so heavily on tourism and services more generally as well as on transport and consumption.
After all, at Easter we celebrate the victory of life over death and today we are struggling against a virus which, alas, for some of our fellow human beings is deadly.
Society must comprehend the critical nature of the challenge which it faces and contribute all its means and weapons to the effort to battle the pandemic.
Ta Nea’s editorials have often stressed of late the dangers that will emerge if citizens do not rise to the occasion and exhibit a sense of personal responsibility in dealing with COVID-19.
Διαχειριστής - Διευθυντής: Λευτέρης Θ. Χαραλαμπόπουλος
Διευθύντρια Σύνταξης: Αργυρώ Τσατσούλη
Ιδιοκτησία - Δικαιούχος domain name: ALTER EGO MEDIA A.E.
Νόμιμος Εκπρόσωπος: Ιωάννης Βρέντζος
Έδρα - Γραφεία: Λεωφόρος Συγγρού αρ 340, Καλλιθέα, ΤΚ 17673
ΑΦΜ: 800745939, ΔΟΥ: ΦΑΕ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΑ
Ηλεκτρονική διεύθυνση Επικοινωνίας: in@alteregomedia.org, Τηλ. Επικοινωνίας: 2107547007
Αριθμός Πιστοποίησης Μ.Η.Τ.232442