Mitsotakis : Post-Covid econ recovery will resemble an ‘end of a war’

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday evening continued to thrust forth an unabashedly optimistic scenario for the post-Covid 19 period in pandemic-battered Greece, a day after announcing the reopening of the entire retail sector and start of the tourism season – next month – in the east Mediterranean country.

The center-right Greek leader employed utilized another television venue a day after a nationally televised address, this time appearing in a live interview on a Athens broadcaster’s prime-time newscast, where he underlined that “what’s going to happen in the economy will resemble the end of a war”.

Additionally, Mitsotakis, whose government and ruling party appear comfortably leading the leftist (SYRIZA) main opposition in all mainstream polls, pointed directly to a handful of tax breaks and social security contribution cuts for businesses and individual taxpayers, which were announced earlier in the day by the finance ministry.

“Recovery will be very robust. The quality of the recovery is also important; it should be accompanied by investments, an outward looking prospective and innovation. Our ‘weapon’ is the (EU) recovery fund,” he said.

The economy will be “gradually” opened, as he characteristically added, while announcing more relief measures for affected businesses, in line with previous support for the F&B sector, nursery schools and gyms, among others.

Asked whether his market-friendly and pro-reform government intends to legislate debt write-off schemes – a standing pledge and demand by the opposition – Mitsotakis replied that those promising such relief should specify exactly how they would accomplish it.

In terms of the actual course of the pandemic in the country, where the death toll is now nearing the 10,000 mark, the Greek premier said it was absolutely necessary to ban non-essential intra-state travel ahead and during Orthodox Easter Week, which begins on Sunday, Palm Sunday according to the Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical calendar. Mitsotakis said the decision was taken because of the still high epidemiological levels in the greater Athens area and other cities.

“I understand that this annoyed certain people, but the measure was necessary to protect other areas (in the provinces).”

The spring-time Easter holiday in Greece annual witnesses a mass exodus of city-dwellers to the provinces, islands and native villages.

Asked about developments on the “vaccination front” in the country, he said the best vaccine is one that an individual can do fast, without delay.