OECD Highlights Greece as Best Practice for Covid-19 Mobile App

Greece’s mobile application service that grants permission to citizens for necessary movement during quarantine is highlighted by OECD as a best practice for the containment of the coronavirus pandemic.

Provided free of charge, the 13033 five-digit mobile phone service was introduced as part of the unnecessary movement restrictions, when Greece went into lockdown, for citizens to inform authorities of the reason they need to leave their home.

In its recent report “Regulatory Quality and COVID-19: Managing the Risks and Supporting the Recovery”, OECD says that the enforcement of health and safety regulations on urgently needed medical or protective supplies can be organized and conducted in a way that minimizes delays and obstacles, and is commensurate to risk.

“Administrations can avoid unnecessary burdens for citizens, businesses and other stakeholders by enabling the use of digital instruments such as mobile applications – as was done in Greece from the start, and more recently adopted in France – rather than paper forms, and avoiding procedures altogether if these do not demonstrably help address contagion risks,” OECD says.

Greece’s Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis in a tweet on Friday, referred to the OECD report:

The sms service is used by residents who need to go to work or/and for emergencies but wish to avoid paper forms. While moving around individuals are obliged to carry identification in the form of ID or passport.

Greece has extended its lockdown until Monday, May 4.