Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis strolled down the main streets in Piraeus on Monday, a few hours after cafes, restaurants and bars reopened for the first time after the Covid-19 lockdown.
During his walk, the PM spoke with shopkeepers and customers about how they were adapting to the new normality and the health safety rules required due to the pandemic. He also chatted with staff in retail outlets, which have been open for the past two weeks.
Mitsotakis listened to business owners about their concerns regarding liquidity and turnover, reporting afterwards that an overview of the market "shows that something is starting to move."
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the President of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce, Nikos Manesiotis.
"I think that, with the reopening of the catering sector, the atmosphere has changed," the prime minister said, while adding that, given a little time, the market will "reap the gains from the citizens' optimism."
"I am leaving a great deal more optimistic," Mitsotakis noted before his departure and said he had seen the use of additional outdoor spaces by restaurants, in line with the new rules, in order to both protect public health and offset the losses from the sector's temporary closure.
The Prime Minister also expressed confidence that results in tourism will be better than expected and that this will increase the customer base of the stores.
During the walk, Mitsotakis met people of all ages, families and many children, from elementary school students who are now preparing to return to their desks to high school and university students who attend classes in rotation via the internet.
He also had a brief conversation with Piraeus Mayor Yiannis Moralis.