Central Macedonia Region Receives Hero Award for Fight Against Covid-19

The Region of Central Macedonia on Thursday was honored for its response to the coronavirus pandemic and received the “Heroes of Covid-19” in Northern Greece award during a special event held at the TIF-Helexpo exhibition fairgrounds in Thessaloniki.

“The real heroes are our fellow citizens who were at the forefront of dealing with an unprecedented health crisis,” Regional Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas said when he received the award.

Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, the region offered its assistance to facilitate the task of doctors, nurses, police officers, EKAB rescuers and all those who were called to deal with the health crisis.

“I want to thank them for their high spirits, high sense of duty and self-denial. I also want to congratulate the employees of the Region of Central Macedonia. This award belongs to them, as it does to all our fellow citizens in Central Macedonia, who with a very high percentage of responsibility took individual responsibility and contributed decisively to limiting the spread of the coronavirus,” Tzitzikostas said.

Funds for hospitals, local businesses

Underlining that the battle against Covid-19 is not over, Tzitzikostas announced that the region was allocating 80 million euros for the needs of hospitals and health centers throughout Central Macedonia.

“We have delivered 24 new ICU beds during the health crisis and we are now strengthening the medical staff in all hospitals to deal with the pandemic for the coming years,” he said.

Moreover, he announced that all local businesses impacted by the pandemic can submit applications to the Region in order to receive non-repayable funding, which is aimed to facilitate liquidity.

“This is an initiative we took to support businesses and maintain jobs,” the governor said, adding that the Region will continue its fight against the pandemic.

“The cooperation of all of us is the key to tackling the crisis both in terms of health and finances. The Region of Central Macedonia will continue to stand by those in need of support,” Tzitzikostas said.