ATHENS — "We learned that we must listen to the experts and the scientists and take decisions promptly," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday regarding the pandemic, during an online debate in the context of the World Economic Forum that is currently in progress.

The prime minister said that Greece managed to handle the first wave of the pandemic well, and then responded to the second wave in November with a strict lockdown that 'hurt us economically" but was "what needed to be done" to prevent the spread of the virus.

He noted that the experts and the government in Greece had explained to Greeks what they must do in good time and that Greeks had followed this advice, abiding by the measures. This behaviour must now continue until a significant part of the population is vaccinated, he added. "The experts are those who must tell us what to do," reiterated Mitsotakis, saying it was very important that crucial decisions were taken early and gave enough time to protect and support the country's health system.