The Prime Minister visited the island of Ikaria from 6 to 7 February 2021 to observe the progress of the vaccination programme. During his visit footage was recorded of the Prime Minister attending a dinner with 30-40 other guests at the house of fellow New Democracy MP, Christodoulos Stefanadis, raising concerns about a possible violation of restrictive measures to combat the pandemic.
A Joint Ministerial Decision was in force at the time, mandating strict restrictive measures to deal with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a “loose lockdown” and a ban on unnecessary movement for citizens. Whilst the restrictions have never applied to members of the Government for travel related to the performance of their duties, the day before the aforementioned meal, even stricter restrictions on the movement of citizens throughout Greece were announced, including a traffic ban in Attica after 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Deputy Minister of Civil Protection stated at the time: “The greater the mobility, the greater the risk of the virus spreading, because mobility means contact.”
Asked if he would apologize to the people, the Prime Minister said that there was no reason to apologize, because he did not participate in any gathering during the pandemic, and that during the meal all the rules were observed, noting that: “I did not go to Ikaria for holidays. I was alone with my associates. The same people who were on the terrace were also in the helicopter. Such a picture will not be repeated.”
Opposition parties were highly critical, with the party Movement for Change noting in a twitter post that what is being observed is a government “above the law, where socialising and eating together is allowed only for them.” The incident was republished by the international media, with the Guardian commenting that “the Greek prime minister is facing mounting anger over claims he attended a meal that exceeded the limits on gatherings,” with Euronews and Politico also referencing a previous violation of the restrictive measures by the Prime Minister.
In addition, an unofficial order was allegedly given by the management of the public broadcaster, ERT, not to play the photos and footage from the meal in the news bulletins (see more on that here .
In the days leading up to the Prime Minister’s visit to Ikaria, several reports of fines and arrests for gatherings in houses were publicized. In Kypseli, for holding a party with 41 people, the host was arrested and fined 3,000 euros, with each participant also paying a fine of 300 euros. Similar consequences were not faced by the Prime Minister.
In a state governed by the rule of law, everyone is equal before the law. It is at least immoral (if not illegal) to make exceptions for specific individuals/groups on the basis of their status as members of the government.
In this case, the Prime Minister and five other government officials attended a large gathering at an MP’s home whilst restrictions on such gatherings applied across the country, as well as a “loose lockdown.”
Furthermore, the government’s pandemic response was centered around an emphasis on individual responsibility. In addition to the fact that there are reasonable concerns about a possible violation of the restrictive measures, a government and its executives should set an example for the rest of society.
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