ATHENS — Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Wednesday had successive meetings with the governors of the Greek regional health districts and all the country's hospitals, in a bid to prepare a heightened level of readiness to deal with Covid-19 after the recent spike in cases.

Kikilias emphasised the necessity of personal protection measures and also sent a message that young people were not immune to the disease.

"The health ministry and the National Health System will be ready for all possibilities, even though we will do everything so that this need does not arise…I want to once again focus everyone's attention on the personal protection measures, the face masks that we must all wear, the social distancing rules, hand hygiene, which are the three key conditions in order for us to continue to remain at a good level," he said.

August will be a difficult month and everything will depend on the individual behaviour of each person, their sense of responsibility and care for others, especially vulnerable groups, he added.

"I want to send a message to the young people of this country: I understand that the summer is a time to relax but we are not invulnerable, young people are not immune," he said, noting that every person has an obligation to take care and consider that they have parents, grandparents or other loved ones with an underlying ailment that makes them vulnerable.

"Please, I beseech everyone to take particular care, especially during the August 15 holiday. How we behave on August 15 will follow us in the time hereafter," he added.