Regional governors around Greece met via teleconference on Wednesday, with one eyebrow-raising proposal being for the creation of so-called “quarantine hotels” in well-known tourism areas.
According to the proposal, made by the regional governor of the south Aegean, Giorgos Hatzimarkos, his regional entity will cover the costs of leasing a certain number of hotels for people that test positive for the Covid-19 virus.
The indirect state-funding of the hotel sector in tourism-dependent regions is one of many ideas circulating in the country, which is very dependent on annual tourism and travel revenues, and amid very gloomy predictions of a recession in Greece for 2020 ranging from 5 percent – the very optimistic forecast by the government – to 10 percent by the EU Commission and even 15 percent by international investment banks.
Rhodes-based Hatzimarkos, who has also served as a top chamber of commerce official and business sector representative for the Dodecanese islands, was categorical in saying that “any thought by anyone of a scenario whereby 2020 is lost should be excluded.”
No information was provided on the sum that the south Aegean regional government is willing allocate for “coronavirus quarantine” lodgings.
