ATHENS – Turning his attention toward an economic recovery while the COVID-19 pandemic surged behind the Omicron Variant has seen Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis facing a problem with both in the minds of Greeks.

While the battle against the Coronavirus seems to be slowly gaining ground – bringing a lot of relief – it has coincided with skyrocketing energy costs and soaring prices for staple goods, including food which is taxed at 24 percent.

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That has brought some anxiety in the New Democracy government, said Kathimerini, about what the next poll will show, especially with the major rival SYRIZA sniping about Mitsotakis’ handling of the pandemic and the economy.

Inflation in December was 5.1 percent, the highest in 25 years, more than even in 2010 when the country was entering the throes of what would be a near-decade long economic and austerity crisis.

The government is said to hope that both fronts will stabilize and that by June the problems with global supply chains will have been worked out as SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras keeps asking for early elections before 2023.

The government is adding to subsidies for energy bills that jumped 189 percent over 12 months but hasn’t moved to reduce the tax on food as Greek households once again face a struggle over their finances.