LARISA — "The duty of the state is at all times to stand by every citizen being tested by hardship. No citizen should feel unprotected. The primary concern of the state is the protection of the life and property of our fellow citizens and this is a commitment that I want us to turn into practice every day that passes," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday.

The prime minister was attending the start-of-year blessing ceremony at the school in Damasi, Tyrnavos, during the inauguration of a new building that was built to replace the old school building, which was irreparably damaged during an earthquake in March.

Mitsotakis also praised the teachers for their response to the destructive earthquake and for managing to evacuate all children from the building safely.

He noted that the new building was built in record time and thanked the president of the construction firm GEK Terna for the speedy construction of a modern, environmentally-friendly and energy efficient school, that served as a model for pupils.

Referring to the problems of the area, he said the government was striving for the speedy rebuilding and repair of the buildings that were destroyed: "The procedures are in motion, the funds are available and we now have a new framework of state support so that we can respond as quickly and efficiently as possible to major natural disasters. We have proved that things are done at a different pace. We did the same in Evia and the regions stricken by the destructive fires of the summer."

Mitsotakis said the new school year was starting in the midst of the pandemic, with the government intent on keeping schools open and that the measures suggested by the experts must therefore be strictly observed.