The carnival in Greece was postponed, precautionarily after the appearance of coronavirus cases in both Athens and Thessaloniki.
More specifically, the National Commission for the Protection of Public Health against Coronavirus COVID-19 unanimously suggested the postponement of Carnival organizations throughout the country, in accordance with the practice of other countries.
The same thing happened in Venice and Nice, as in many cities in Germany.
According to sources in the Ministry of Health, the Commission, in its proposal, set two key parameters:
- The increased synergy in mass concentrations, with the risk of transmission and diffusion of cases.
- The protection of the population.
KYA was signed by the Ministers of Civil Protection, Health and Interior.
"Up to two years in prison for stubborn masquerades"
The Ministries of Interior, Health and Citizen Protection sign the joint joint ministerial decision on coronavirus and carnivals.
Mayors, regional governors and all the recipients of the joint ministerial decision that has just been issued and imposes the cancellation of carnival events across the country are threatened with two years in prison, "due to the immediate danger to public health".
The JMC is signed by the Ministers of Health, Citizen Protection and Interior, Vassilis Kikilias, Michalis Chrysochoidis and Takis Theodorikakos. Its text invokes today's (27/2/2020) Recommendation of the National Committee of Public Health against the coronavirus COVID-19.
Based on this, "all the bodies, municipalities and regions and other recipients of the present are invited, to whom the present is sent in any suitable way, as they comply with its content", ie the cancellation of the carnival events.
Immediately afterwards, it is emphasized that "non-compliance entails the consequences of paragraph 6 of article one of the Legislative Act" Urgent measures to prevent and limit the spread of coronavirus ".
In the specific paragraph, it is mentioned that "whoever does not comply with the measures of this article is punished with imprisonment of up to two (2) years, unless the act is punished more severely with another provision".
Measures to support entrepreneurship are being studied by the Ministry of Education, after the decision to suspend the carnival events
At the same time, measures to support entrepreneurship, based on the real losses that will occur after the decision of the cabinet to suspend carnival events across the country, are being developed by the Ministry of Finance, in cooperation with the co-responsible ministers.
This was stated by sources in the Ministry of Finance, while, according to other information, meetings are already being held at the General Accounting Office of the State on the cost of the effects of the coronavirus and how they will be addressed.