Greek PM rejects prospect of another pandemic lockdown; says minimum wage to increase by at least 2% in early 2022

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday ruled out the prospect of his government imposing another pandemic-related lockdown in the country, speaking amid a week when new confirmed Covid-19 infections have exceeded 6,000 on a daily basis in the country of 11 million residents.

Speaking during a television new program interview, Mitsotakis said “…three in four people (adults in the country) have done the right thing, and it would be unfair to impose restrictions on them at a great cost, in order to deal with a problem related to a minority (those not vaccinated); no European country has followed this tactic”.

He also ruled out the prospect of requiring other castes of professionals to get vaccinated in order to continue their vocation, saying such a measure has been exhausted with healthcare professionals, care givers and educators.

The answer came specifically in question to whether the government will require law enforcement staff and first-responders to get vaccinated in order to continue working.

Finally, he said the minimum monthly wage in the country would be increased in 2022, and by 2 percent, while signaling that another raise is possible within the same year, after growth is calculated and businesses’ resilience tested.