Emergency public bulletin to be held following Covid spike

Deputy Minister for Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias and Health Ministry adviser Sotiris Tsiodras are expected to appear on Greeks’ televisions screens again on Tuesday afternoon in a public bulletin on the course of the coronavirus epidemic following a spike in new cases in recent days.

Athens University Medical School professor Tsiodras was the key spokesman for the government during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring, delivering regular televised public briefings and dispensing advice on safe practices every afternoon for a period of several weeks.

The soft-spoken, popular expert is slated to be back at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, appearing alongside Hardalias to warn the public of the mounting risks of flouting the experts’ recommendations for curbing the spread of the virus.

“if you see us doing a live briefing again, this will mean that things have not gone well,” Hardalias had said at the last public briefing held by the two officials on May 26.

The decision to hold the emergency briefing came after health authorities reported 77 new Covid-19 infections nationwide on Monday, 75 on Sunday and 110 on Saturday, the vast majority of which were in the community and not connected to travel abroad.