ATHENS — The government missed the opportunity to prepare Greece for the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, charged Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Fofi Gennimata on Sunday, and "its responsibility for this is highlighted in Thessaloniki's case."

In an interview to "Macedonia" newspaper of Thessaloniki published Sunday, Gennimata said the government opened the country to tourism without careful planning, and things went out of control at the land borders. "During the summer lull, valuable time for preparation was wasted, and when the second wave arrived the country was unprotected," KINAL's leader said.

She said the party had presented its proposals, based on facts and with cost projections included, from the very start of the pandemic. These are tabled in Parliament, she said, and included the hiring of National Health System staff and actions to restrict the spread of the virus.

Gennimata rejected a proposal by main opposition SYRIZA that all parties agree on a new Health minister, and called for "radical intervention now – we cannot build the future on rubble, and the government has not responded to the real needs of businesses and employees." Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' state budget "bears no relation to reality," she stressed.

The KINAL leader also spoke about pressure on Turkey to stop its aggression, which her party had initiated through the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament. But the issue, she added, requires the prime minister's action. He should have a comprehensive strategy, determination and be a step ahead of developments by building alliances and setting "red lines" on national policy.