ATHENS – If the vacancies noted by the health ministry are not covered to an acceptable degree by early next week, then the government will proceed with requisitioning the services of doctors in the private sector, government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou said in an interview with Parapolitika radio on Friday.

He also clarified that this will be happen gradually and mostly in northern Greece, where the system is under most pressure.

He acknowledged that there was a widespread concern, which he described as natural. “The memories of the previous lockdown are still raw…People see the pandemic attack and the pressure on the national health system. We are clear in our message. We do not want the country to shut down and it will not. We have no plans for restriction measures for our vaccinated compatriots,” Oikonomou said.

Referring to the International Conference on Libya in Paris, he underlined that “it is the first time that Greece is participating and at a top level, something that proves the importance foreign leaders attach to our country. They recognise that Greece is the most fundamental factor for stability in the region, in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. Regarding Libya, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was clear in his statements on the issue at all fora. The timeline for the general elections must be observed. The foreign troops and mercenaries must withdraw from the country as agreed. Subsequently, it is clear that when the situation returns to normal and there is an elected government, our country has matters to discuss with Libya, such as, for example, the delimitation of maritime zones, which is an issue that primarily concerns Greece and Libya.”