Greek PM: Greece will be better prepared for a potential second wave of the coronavirus

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, spoke of the government's handling of the recent coronavirus pandemic as an experience that "will lead us to revisit both our history and our future through a different perspective."

His comments were made during an interview on Skai TV on Monday, adding that Greece will be better prepared if the coronavirus pandemic resurfaces in fall.

Referring to the measures implemented quickly, such as the lockdown, he noted that "the countries that acted quickly and effectively and, in the end, had only a few cases of infections, will also be the countries that recover faster than others."

The government's preventive measures "were not repressive," he pointed out, and the fines that were imposed for violating curfews were very few in relation to "the absolute compliance of an entire society." The sense of collective responsibility, he said, led to the tearing down of many stereotypes about Greek society.

The PM underlined that entrusting health experts from the first moment the pandemic hit the country played a key role in building a relationship of trust with citizens.

He also said that health authorities will be “smarter” in testing and tracking, by taking more targeted measures to stop the spread of the virus.

When asked whether he believed Greece would face a second wave in the fall, he said: “I would not invest in luck. And I would certainly not leave the country unprepared in any way for the very serious possibility, the high probability, of the coronavirus returning in some way in the fall or winter. But we will be more prepared.”