Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged people against complacency in the war against COVID-19, during a televised address to the nation on Monday, as the Health Ministry reported a total of 2,145 infections,since the novel coronavirus was first detected in the country in late February.

Amidst this unprecedented crisis, many things changed with tremendous speed. We have also changed. I hope for the better... We have gained precious time so we can organize the national healthcare system better. You deserve a big thank you, the Greek prime minister said in his message which was broadcast live on national broadcaster ERT.

Greece would have suffered far heavier losses should citizens have not observed confinement measures, he noted, adding that the country will return to normality gradually.

Since March 23 Greece is in lockdown which is due to end on April 27.

We have still not won the war. The number of new cases and patients in intensive care units is declining. However, the tiniest complacency can easily lead to a painful setback, Mitsotakis warned.

The country which had just emerged from a decade of serious debt crisis and harsh bailouts will face steep recession again this year, but can make a new strong come back in 2021, he stressed.

In the new struggle, the state will keep supporting everyone in need, he pledged, announcing that 150,000 long-term unemployed people will receive an emergency benefit of 400 euros (436 U.S. dollars) this spring.

So far the Greek state has allocated 14 billion euros to support employees and businesses, the Greek leader said.

As people in Greece are getting ready to celebrate the Orthodox Easter which falls on April 19 this year, Mitsotakis repeated the call for social distancing when finishing his address.

We will be remembering this Easter as the Easter of Love, but also of responsibility. We will spend it away from our loved ones. So, let's stay home so that we can meet again, healthy and strong, once the tempest is over. We stay indoors, we emerge winners, he said.

Only a thin thread separates victory from destruction. If we do not observe to the end experts' instructions, we could destroy what we have achieved, he stressed.

Shortly earlier the Greek Health Ministry announced 31 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Greece in the last 24 hours, and one new death since Sunday.

Among the new cases were 11 pensioners and 2 employees in a retirement home in Nea Makri, half an hour drive east of Athens, which was placed in quarantine. (1 euro= 1.09 U.S. dollars)

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)