ATHENS — "The measures (against the spread of the pandemic) were not taken to divide society or to label people. The government is not against the citizens," government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou stated on Wednesday in an interview with ANT1 TV.

He said that the government is confronted with the pandemic, which is again surging, and the measures mostly concern the unvaccinated, who are its likely victims and, unfortunately, the multipliers of the spread of the pandemic. "Against this reality we must shield the society and protect people, protect those that got the vaccine and took all the mesures and made all the effort in the previous period. To also protect the unvaccinated and to shield the normality of life in the public sphere," he added.

"We must clarify something, the government is not a think tank. It does not have the luxury to discuss until the last moment when the pandemic is galloping and threatening to blow up everything we achieved in the previous period. In comparison with last year, now we have the vaccine and this is a major difference. Τhe citizen has the alternative to get the vaccine which is safe, not because the government says so but because the scientists say so with valid arguments," he said.

Ηe also said that the government's intention is for the economy to remain open and to not proceed with lockdown measures.