The considerable time we have\nspent in voluntary social distancing as\na means of protection against the \nspreading of the corona virus has been for most of us a time for\nreflection, personal assessment, and most importantly, a time for making\ndecisions on our future course, after the end of the pandemic. In Greece, the\nfirst phase of health protection measures against the pandemic has been successful,\nhowever, the second phase will be a lot more complex. In order to achieve the\nhighest protection of the population while suffering the least economic losses,\nclose cooperation between individuals and societal groups is needed, and well\nthought-out political decisions have to me made. Flexibility is also needed in\nmodifying the existing plans according to the new data and the effectiveness of\nthe measures that are being taken<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The\nmost important condition for successfully dealing with the new situations that\nwill arise during the second phase, is reaching a solid consensus on what\nexactly individual citizens should do. Reaching consensus on the protective\nmeasures that have been implemented so far was what made the first phase so successful. <\/strong>During the second phase, the consensus will need to address both health\nprotection of the population as well as recovery of the economy. In order to\nsucceed in reaching a consensus, we will need to make a conscientious effort to\nplace the good of all Greek citizens ahead of our personal financial interest. An encouraging factor for dealing\neffectively with the challenging second phase of the pandemic is the\nrealisation and the satisfaction that we were able to go through the first\nphase with a minimum loss of human lives. <\/strong>Hopefully the humanity that has prevailed during the two months of\nour mandatory self-isolation will be the basis for moderation. This is not the\ntime to have unreasonable demands on the state for compensation of individuals\nfor loss of wages or businesses for loss of income. The reduced economic\nactivity of March and April, which at times in many areas was non-existent, cannot\nbe dealt with unreasonable financial demands in terms of subsidies.\nFurthermore, it is very obvious that public finances cannot survive an extended\nperiod of granting subsidies or offering reductions of the tax rates for\nindividuals and businesses. We need to\nagree on the fact that the burden of the present economic downturn will have to\nbe carried equitably by everyone. Everyone of us needs to accept that we will\nall experience a reduction in our finances. <\/strong>Once we reach a consensus on\nthis necessity, we will be able to judge with constructive criticism the\neconomic policies that will be implemented. Thus, if necessary, we will be able\nto intervene in a mild and cooperative manner, so that we may help right any\ninjustices or even advocate for favourable regulations for some needy societal\ngroups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>By reaching a common understanding on what\nneeds to be done during the present circumstances, we can address the new\nsituations that will develop during the evolution of the pandemic, calmly and\nwith clear thinking. Closer human contact will bring increased economic\nactivity and the reopening of various business operations, so that we can\neventually return to the normalcy of the pre-pandemic days. Given that even if we take all the\nprecaution measures, we can still get infected or infect others with corona\nvirus, we need to keep in mind that protecting just ourselves is not enough. We\nalso need to worry about others and help protect everyone that we come in\ncontact with. In this way, we can develop the conditions for mutual protection,\nwhich will help bring about closer relations among people. In a time of crisis,\nwe might develop emotional relationships that are much more meaningful than the\nones that we have experienced before the outbreak of the pandemic, an emergency\nwhich has threatened the lives of all of us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>Medical scientists believe that the\nelimination of the corona virus and the pandemic will happen only when an\neffective vaccine is developed. Coordinated research efforts will hopefully\nproduce medication that will be effective in treating patients infected with\nCOVID-19. We should remember that even in the field of medico-biological\nscience, collaboration plays the most important role. Medico-biological information is exchanged\nthrough transnational collaboration and through publications of experiment\nresults in scientific publications. It is the same preparedness for\ncollaboration that is fostered by the whole human community at times of crises,\nso that dangers can be addressed, particularly new, not well-defined dangers,\nsuch as in the corona virus pandemic. This kind of cooperation between the\ncitizens and the scientists of different countries as well as the cooperation\nbetween state leaders makes the vilified concept of globalisation much more\ndesirable and beneficial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We are hopeful that at the end of this general health\nand economic crisis, we will all come out of it more aware, sensitive and\ncooperative. We are hopeful that we will always remember in the course of our\nlives the collaborative initiatives that have come as a result of our common\ndesire to combat this pandemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The considerable time we have spent in voluntary social distancing as a means of protection against the spreading of the corona virus has been for most of us a time for reflection, personal assessment, and most importantly, a time for making decisions on our future course, after the end of the pandemic. In Greece, the … \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 \u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 IN SPITE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, THE DESIRE FOR CLOSE COOPERATION IS THE SOLUTION TO FUTURE PROBLEMS<\/span>