ATHENS — Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance spokesperson Nassos Iliopoulos on Friday stressed the "need to restore the normal democratic functioning of parliament" in an interview with Kontra Channel late on Thursday.

"The problem today is not the opening of activities. But the fact that the government is not taking the necessary measures to strengthen the public health system, for mass and free testing, to address the spread [of coronavirus] on public transport and in workplaces," Iliopoulos noted, explaining that "in the same context, the government – taking all appropriate protection measures – must immediately restore the normal democratic functioning of the parliament."

Iliopoulos said that "the government has so far followed a bizarre and failed lockdown," and that "since October – when we entered the second wave of the pandemic – until today, we have mourned more than 11,200 of our fellow human beings."

"It becomes clear that the government was never really prepared for this second wave," Iliopoulos underlined and explained: "New Democracy (ND) never believed in strengthening the national health system, never took real measures to contain transmission of the virus in the main places where it was superspread, such as workplaces and public transport."