A Happy New Year to one and all – let’s hope it’s a good one!
In December I wrote about the technological changes being made especially in the area of state information systems. I mentioned, too, the role that the pandemic had played in moving things along: ‘Certainly the pandemic - because of related restricted mobility, working at home, setting up systems to deal with vaccination procedures - necessitated rapid developments on many fronts. This was a catalyst in dismantling old systems of red tape and bringing state and citizen closer together, which in itself merits a separate blog post.
So, here is that separate post about new developments in Greece that have come about in response to needs created and restraints imposed by the pandemic. Last time my focus was mainly on the changes in medical services, particularly in relation to vaccination administration. This time we will broaden that focus a little.
The time was when shoppers could be viewed as nuisances by some local small-time retailers. On Tsimiski – the main commercial area in Thessaloniki - I was once shouted at by the owner of a small boutique who told me to get out, couldn’t I see the floor was wet! She had just washed the floor and clearly her clean tiles were a higher priority than dealing with a customer. Or shop assistants y would tailgate you, shadowing your every move till you left, feeling you were viewed as a potential shop-lifter. Our economic crisis purged the more cavalier businesses in general and those surviving realize that we customers are the key to their survival and their tactics have changed accordingly. Now they are extremely cordial but not clingy and seem genuinely pleased to see you. Every cloud …..
They have had to learn digital skills too: with the Click and Collect system devised during lockdown, retailers had to set up their online stock display whereby clients could select items for their order, then arrange a time to pick it up at the shop entrance- no entry allowed. Now, there are strict procedures to gain access to shops. They have a member of staff checking your credentials that you have been vaccinated or have recovered from the illness and that you are appropriately masked up.
As one of our critical sources of income tourism was devastated by the virus and this was an area that urgently required attention. A consequence of this was the creation of Greecefromhome.com, a digital platform designed to connect the tourist with the country and some of what it has to offer. It really is an interesting development in response to the Mohammed and the mountain problem: if the tourist cannot come to Greece, then Greece must go to the tourist. Since we, along with many countries, were observing the #menoumespiti - #westayhome - policy, this was the way to go.
The portal is arranged into 3 main categories: those of Watch, Visit and Learn. The first offers videos of well-known Greeks, experts in a wide range of fields, showing what Greece has to offer in, say, sports, music, fashion, cuisine, etc. I found this really interesting and aim to explore it more fully. Visit, as you might expect, allows you to digitally call on places of interest, letting you see what each place is like, as well as offering advice on where to go, where and what to eat and what facilities are available. Finally Learn affords you access to the Google Digital Garage Platform where free courses and webinars are available; some of the topics covered are business, marketing, advertising, programming and coding. Similarly training is offered to those in the industry and, through Visit, they are given a platform whereby more diversified services can be promoted.
This is an exciting prospect as tourism and its perspective badly need to go beyond pension owners in Halkidiki continuing to throw cement at nature, regardless of architectural and environmental outcome so long as it provides income, coupled with the strident night clubs which issue incontinent, inebriates into the streets in the wee-ing small hours! Let’s give tourism here a real face-lift! Far beyond souvlaki, tzatziki, retsina, cheap beer and Zorbas, the country and its people, history and culture just have soooo much to offer.
It has to be said that existing systems are not perfect; on the vaccination front the fact that Greece has a really mobile population needs to be taken into account. People who had their first or second vaccination abroad and had valid documentation of that, found the system could not read the foreign certification and refused to permit appointments for booster shots. This is now being fine-tuned.
In November our national census was to take place, though the pandemic rendered a synchronic data collection impossible. One could register online, but first one had to be given a code and those were to be delivered to our doors - in theory. But nothing happened, and only yesterday did we get ‘done’ after multiple calls - even unto Athens!- to find someone who would undertake our registration. So, that was not quite thought-through as a system, where the left hand tech did not know what the right hand personnel were up to.
Many citizens have not been entered in the census which, thereby, shows inaccurate data.These, then, are examples of the low levels of systemic connectivity and integration. However, we see our daily life greatly improved thanks to Gov.gr. On receiving Greek nationality, I could inform different government bodies electronically of my changed status - so no multiple office visits. JTax payment and car licensing can now be done from home.
With Messrs Mitsotakis and Pierrakakis at the helm, Hellas is surely charting her progress into an exciting 5Gand wifi 6 future.
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