PM, government will not participate in Ochi Day church service

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and members of the government will not attend the annual church service to mark the October 28 national holiday, as part of an effort to avoid mass gatherings, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Friday.

The decision comes after the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos called on state officials to avoid participating in ceremonies and large gatherings on the “Ochi Day,” as the country faces the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This year, let’s say ‘No’ to the coronavirus,” he said at a regular press briefing.