PM says Greece at war with 'invisible enemy' coronavirus

ATHENS (ITNTV) - Greece’s prime minister announced on Tuesday a package of up to 2 billion euros ($2.20 billion) to support businesses following the coronavirus outbreak and said further restrictions lay ahead for the country.

A woman wears a protective face mask as she walks next to a church in Athens, Greece, March 17, 2020.

“We are at war. With an enemy who is invisible, but not invincible,” the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said in a state address.

Greece has reported 387 cases of COVID-19, including five deaths.

It has ordered a shutdown of retail businesses with the exception of chemists, supermarkets and gas stations, effective Wednesday.

From 0600 am (0400 GMT) on Wednesday, Greece will also shut its borders to any individual other than Greeks and EU residents unless they have a special permit.

Mitsotakis reiterated that members of the public should remain at home. Promising measures to support businesses, he urged them not to fire workers.

Banks will offer businesses hit by the coronavirus crisis a six-month freeze on loan payments as part of relief efforts to help borrowers deal with the economic shutdown, their association said on Tuesday.

Greece was on the verge of bankruptcy as late as 2015 and has required three financial bailouts since 2010, and emerged from its third international bailout in 2018.

But it will have more fiscal flexibility to tackle the coronavirus, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Monday.

Staikouras said euro zone finance ministers had agreed that declining revenues and outlays to cushion the blow from the shrinking of economic activity would be taken into consideration when it comes to fiscal targets.

Greece’s economy relies heavily on tourism, which accounts for about a fifth of its output, and performance of the sector is vital to the country. According to a survey published on Tuesday, Greek hoteliers have lost revenues of about 500 million euros from cancellations since February.

Comments

European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel to fight coronavirus

Madrid (ITNTV) The European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel as it attempts to contain the ongoing spread of the coronavirus on the continent. "The less travel, the more we can contain the virus," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday following a video conference between G7 leaders. She appeared confident that the European Council would sign off on the restriction in a Tuesday vote. The bloc's member states imposed aggressive measures on Monday, days after the World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe was at the epicenter of the pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron declared "war" on the virus during a national address on Monday, banning all social events across the country -- including family gatherings. Macron said those who have gathered in public places in recent days have not been respecting previous measures to limit the outbreak's spread in France, which as of Monday had 5,380 con...

PhD positions: In Institute of Biochemistry, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

PhD positions: In Institute of Biochemistry, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany 🇩🇪 . Subjects: Neurobiology / Imaging Description: 1 PhD position in Neurobiology / Imaging Prof. Britta Qualmann, Inst. of Biochem. I, UKJ - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany Prof. Christian Geis, Section of Translat. Neuroimmunol., Dept. Neurol., UKJ We seek for a productive addition to our research team in a collaborative project. We plan to study pathomechanisms of synaptic changes underlying autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system applying super-resolution microscopy. The Geis lab examines immune-mediated changes of synapses by interactions with pathogenic human antibodies against neuronal proteins. Short- and long-term effects on neuronal networks are analyzed using electrophysiological and various microscopy methods. The Qualmann lab is an internationally well-known lab that focusses on proteins with the power to s...

80 pct of life stopped in Turkey due to outbreak, says interior minister

Turkish citizens, especially those living in metropolises, have been abiding by the “social isolation” principles laid out by the government, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has said, adding that almost 80 percent of life “stopped” in Turkey . “Up until now, just our ministry issued 38 circulars, 17 of which concern the borders. Many high-level precautions have been taken. Right now, 80 percent of life stopped in Turkey,” Soylu said on March 26 in an interview with a private broadcaster. Soylu also provided updated figures for passenger traffic. He said that there is a 73 percent decline in inter-city bus services, adding that these services can also be suspended if needed. On intra-city traffic, Soylu said that there has been an 80 percent decline. This figure was 65 percent according to another interview the minister held on March 25. The government has four cruxes it predicates on when taking measures against the spread of the novel coronaviru...

Infotainment News TV

Search This Blog