As coronavirus devastates Europe with a saddening increasing death roll, Greece has been a shining example of what earlier and quick measures can make to the spread of the infection.
With just over 2000 cases and less than 100 deaths, Greece is a far cry from what is going on in Italy, Spain and France. This responsiveness has seen many in Europe praise Greece's efforts, particularly French and Italian newspapers, as reported by Greek City Times. However, the United States are now the next to notice how well Greece is managing this pandemic.
In an opinion piece on Bloomberg published on Tuesday, John Authers says "Greece, which has been bracketed together with Italy and Spain in economic misery for a decade now, and generally suffered much more. On the coronavirus it seems to have done something right. Greece closed down its economy at the first sign of trouble, just as tourist resorts were about to reopen. It looks to have worked."
There is little doubt it has worked and the numbers speak for themselves - although every death is tragic.
Bloomberg however did not stop there, and in another article titled "Greece Shows How to Handle the Crisis", author Ferdinando Giugliano said "For years, much of Europe has looked down on Greece as an insolvable problem. For all its intrinsic frailties, in this pandemic, Athens can walk with its head held high."
Why?
Because as Europe has been devastated by coronavirus, "Greece has been one noticeable — and perhaps surprising — exception to this trend," writes Giugliano. "The government imposed severe social distancing measures at a much earlier stage of the epidemic than other southern European countries. For now, this swift reaction has helped Greece avoid the tragic healthcare crisis that richer states are facing."
The praise has not only been from Bloomberg, but also from U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Geoffey Pyatt, who in a message to the American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce said how impressed the U.S. is with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his government for handling the coronavirus pandemic.
