During the event held by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in the context of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe – on “The impact of the pandemic on vulnerable population groups” – Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis pointed to the need to protect vulnerable population groups during the pandemic.
More specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis stressed that ensuring the right to equal and unhindered access to public healthcare is vital for everyone, and especially for vulnerable social groups. And this is why it is even more important, he said, that reference to this right be included in the Athens Declaration, which will serve as a roadmap for responding to such phenomena and is to be adopted in November, in Athens, during the Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
In his address, the Alternate Minister and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe also referred to cases where people infected with Covid-19 have been targeted and socially marginalized, pointing to “a stigmatization that concerns all of us.” And contributing to this, he noted, is the spread of fake news, which leads to social alienation and the marginalization of vulnerable social groups. “And we have to break this prejudice,” he added.
Also participating in the discussion were the Head of the Greek Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe, Dora Bakoyannis, and the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Domna Michailidou.
October 20, 2020