Stopping the spread of the pandemic is more important than issuing fines to people who violate coronavirus measures, said Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis after his meeting with Central Macedonia Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas in Thessaloniki on Monday.
To this effect, the immediate target of standing measures is to reduce the pressure on the country’s national health system with “a ten-day breather,” he added.
Targeted police checks, however, will be intensified, so that these strict safety measures can be more effective, seeing as the Christmas holiday season is fast approaching, he noted.
Following the meeting, Governor Tzitzikostas announced a decision to provide a 1.5-million-euro budget for the strengthening of regional police with 60 vehicles and equipment.
At Thessaloniki the minister also met with Chief Inspector of Northern Greece Police Directorate Konstantinos Skoumas, with Thessaloniki Police General Director Lazaros Mavropoulos, and with the city’s Mayor Konstantinos Zervas.
The mayor said that the situation is still difficult in Thessaloniki despite some signs of stabilization regarding the pandemic. He reportedly told Minister Chrysochoidis that it would help to provide data on coronavirus cases per municipality to render monitoring more effective.
Chrysochoidis, currently on a two-day working tour in northern Greece, is also scheduled to visit Imathia, Pella, Serres and Drama.
