ATHENS — The sudden rise in coronavirus infections is an exclusive political responsibility of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras said on Monday.

Speaking at the Political Center emergency meeting he convened, the main opposition leader charged Mitsotakis with refusal to collaborate with Syriza.

According to party sources, Tsipras said, “The new pandemic wave coming on strongly with the country unprepared once again, two years after the pandemic’s outbreak, is the political responsibility of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.” The government had two years in which to prepare the National Health System, he said, “but did not do it.”

In addition, Tsipras said, “It is the third time in a year we have offered to help with a proposal of a minimum consensus, to have scientists of joint acceptance manage the pandemic, without operating on the basis of political cost.” But Mitsotakis rejected this, he said, “confirming his arrogance and lack of understanding over the critical times,” which indicates that “he is solely responsible politically for the current situation and for whatever lies ahead in the hard winter ahead.”