Greece joined other European countries on Thursday in imposing more restrictions on those not vaccinated against Covid-19 after the increase in infections in recent weeks.
Starting next Monday, unvaccinated people will be prohibited from accessing enclosed spaces, such as restaurants, cinemas, museums and gyms, even if they test negative for Covid-19, as announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has urged the Greeks to "get vaccinated, vaccinated, vaccinated."
So far, Greece has vaccinated 62% of its 11 million inhabitants. Authorities expected to have reached a percentage of around 70% in the fall.
"This is indeed a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said Mitsotakis. "Greece is mourning unnecessary losses because it simply does not have the vaccination rates of other European countries."
Austria, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have limited the public life of the unvaccinated this week, while infections increase across Europe.
Additionally, under new rules in Greece, vaccination certificates for those over 60 will be valid for seven months after they are issued, in an effort to encourage them to receive a third booster dose.
The number of new daily infections reached record highs in Greece this month, putting pressure on an already struggling healthcare system and forcing the government to order private-sector doctors to assist public hospitals in five northern regions of the country. The order, published in the official government gazette on Thursday, is effective for one month.
Greece registered 7,317 new infections and 63 deaths on Thursday. This brings the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 861,117 and the total number of deaths to 17,075.
In early November, the government had imposed some restrictions on unvaccinated citizens, but allowed them access to most services, provided they tested negative.
