This morning, the good news (we guess) is that anyone who needs a bed in an ICU in Greece will probably get one. Hellenic Intensive Care Society President Αnna Kotanidou told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Friday.
She also added that “we are trying […] to create more beds and if necessary to turn other units into intensive care units for COVID-19.” Ms. Kotanido also pointed out that the situation is “manageable for the time being,” and she added that provisions are being made so that:
“If ICUs for Covid-19 fill up by the end of this week, another 43 beds in multi-purpose ICUs may be put to use as of next week. For the time being, we have enough available ICU beds.”
She also took note saying the situation in ICU bed availability outside of the Attica Region is excellent, she said, noting in terms of ICU beds, “There is only slight pressure there”.
The bad news (we are sure) is that the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) is already preparing a massive campaign for the 2021 tourism season, with new promotional actions for Greece by the end of October. The reason this is bad news is because the pandemic situation in Greece is dynamic, unsure, and trending toward a new lockdown situation.
Dr. Nikos Sypsas, who is a medical professor at the University of Athens on the committee tasked with advising the Greek government on coronavirus issues, has warned during an interview on television channel ANT1, that new lockdowns are likely to be imposed.
News that Greece’s Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis and Sebastian Ebel, a TUI executive board member were meeting to expand the touristic season through November, reveals the divergent strategies of the Mitsotakis administration. Or, at least, a disconnect in the understanding of what another COVID-19 lockdown will mean.
Experts are warning that things are getting serious in Greece, and in the meantime many sectors act as if the coronavirus curve is not rocketing upward. Kids in Greece are back in school, without guidance for families with members at risk, and the word is out that there are not enough resources to properly sanitize schoolrooms.
In the streets, teenagers walk to school wearing their facemasks like chinstraps, and at night, city parks are full of young people congregating without so much as one facemask in sight. Greece has a huge problem, and many in decision making capacities act as if wishful thinking will sustain the country. This is a far cry from the Greece that went proactive to flatten the COVID-19 curve back in April and May.