Nikos Hardalias: Disciplinary and criminal investigations into coronavirus cases at health care facilities
coronavirus
24 Apr 2020
/ 10:30
ATHENS. In his daily update yesterday Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias announced that there will be disciplinary and criminal investigations.
There will be an investigation into a private healthcare clinic in Peristeri, Athens and a medical facility in south Athens where a coronavirus case was found on Wednesday night with the patient dying on Thursday morning.
"We had around 28 cases at a healthcare facility in Peristeri, of which 11 were employees," said Mr. Hardalias. "The facility has been put in quarantine and a specialist and administrator have been appointed. All the necessary procedures have been followed to protect the health of residents. Those in charge will face a disciplinary inquiry."
"We call on all employees at such facilities to follow all the proper procedures," he added.
Mr Hardalias said that EODY (National Public Health Organisation), the Ministry of Health and the Civil Protection Ministry were informed of a positive case at a medical facility in South Athens with 300 residents and 170 personnel. Mr Hardalias, Prof. Sotiris Tsiodras and a team from EODY went to the facility and took samples from the personnel - all results up to now have been negative. However, the patient who was found positive died at a coronavirus delegated hospital in Athens on Thursday morning.
The Deputy Minister stressed that nobody should play with human lives and complacency, especially from professional health workers, is not acceptable. "There will be no exceptions for anyone whose work involves the care of human lives," he said and called on all employees at such facilities to follow all the proper procedures.
We have won some small battles but we haven't won the war yet.
At the start of his update the Civil Protection Deputy Minister confirmed that "the virus is, of course, receding in Greece, according to the experts, but it hasn't been eradicated." He stressed that "We haven't won the war yet - we have won some small battles, we have won valuable time, we have safeguarded our health system and we now have good experience in how to tackle the situation."
He also announced that the lockdown measures until 27 April have been extended for another week. The measures will remain until 4 May and the transition will then take place in two phases over the next two months - May and June - with a period of 14 days or more between the two.
"The next phase will be a gradual return to daily normality - gradual and cautious, because it will require time and complete adherence to social responsibility," he said. "Every day is a difficult day, just like today, even though it is clear that it is bringing us closer to a part-lifting of measures and a gradual and extremely cautious return to new normality."
He said that in Nea Smirni, Larissa a section of the community, especially the areas where there were cases, will remain in quarantine until 30 April as a precautionary measure. The suspension of all open-air markets in Thessaly will be lifted and they will reopen on Saturday 25 April.
He also pointed out that the quarantine in Mesopotamia ends today and thanked all the residents for their patience and adherence to the guidelines.
In the Municipality of Ermionida, where there were 150 confirmed cases at a hotel accommodating asylum-seekers, the tests carried out on 177 community residents who had come into contact with the hotel residents were all negative. Mr Hardalias reiterated that the area is still in lockdown.
Finally, the Deputy Minister confirmed that checks on incoming flights are continuing. All 157 passengers from flights on Wednesday were checked - one was positive and was put in quarantine.
"We had around 28 cases at a healthcare facility in Peristeri, of which 11 were employees," said Mr. Hardalias. "The facility has been put in quarantine and a specialist and administrator have been appointed. All the necessary procedures have been followed to protect the health of residents. Those in charge will face a disciplinary inquiry."
"We call on all employees at such facilities to follow all the proper procedures," he added.
Mr Hardalias said that EODY (National Public Health Organisation), the Ministry of Health and the Civil Protection Ministry were informed of a positive case at a medical facility in South Athens with 300 residents and 170 personnel. Mr Hardalias, Prof. Sotiris Tsiodras and a team from EODY went to the facility and took samples from the personnel - all results up to now have been negative. However, the patient who was found positive died at a coronavirus delegated hospital in Athens on Thursday morning.
The Deputy Minister stressed that nobody should play with human lives and complacency, especially from professional health workers, is not acceptable. "There will be no exceptions for anyone whose work involves the care of human lives," he said and called on all employees at such facilities to follow all the proper procedures.
We have won some small battles but we haven't won the war yet.
At the start of his update the Civil Protection Deputy Minister confirmed that "the virus is, of course, receding in Greece, according to the experts, but it hasn't been eradicated." He stressed that "We haven't won the war yet - we have won some small battles, we have won valuable time, we have safeguarded our health system and we now have good experience in how to tackle the situation."
He also announced that the lockdown measures until 27 April have been extended for another week. The measures will remain until 4 May and the transition will then take place in two phases over the next two months - May and June - with a period of 14 days or more between the two.
"The next phase will be a gradual return to daily normality - gradual and cautious, because it will require time and complete adherence to social responsibility," he said. "Every day is a difficult day, just like today, even though it is clear that it is bringing us closer to a part-lifting of measures and a gradual and extremely cautious return to new normality."
He said that in Nea Smirni, Larissa a section of the community, especially the areas where there were cases, will remain in quarantine until 30 April as a precautionary measure. The suspension of all open-air markets in Thessaly will be lifted and they will reopen on Saturday 25 April.
He also pointed out that the quarantine in Mesopotamia ends today and thanked all the residents for their patience and adherence to the guidelines.
In the Municipality of Ermionida, where there were 150 confirmed cases at a hotel accommodating asylum-seekers, the tests carried out on 177 community residents who had come into contact with the hotel residents were all negative. Mr Hardalias reiterated that the area is still in lockdown.
Finally, the Deputy Minister confirmed that checks on incoming flights are continuing. All 157 passengers from flights on Wednesday were checked - one was positive and was put in quarantine.
