Greece Bars Unvaccinated from All Enclosed Venues to Halt Covid-19 Spread

As Covid-19 cases surge, Greece is toughening restrictions for the unvaccinated starting on Monday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Thursday.

In a televised address to the nation, Mitsotakis said that all enclosed venues will be off-bounds for unvaccinated citizens. He stressed once again that the new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is the “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Unvaccinated citizens will be barred from all indoor venues, such as cinemas, theatres, and gyms. They will no longer be able to access indoor venues by presenting a negative Covid test result. At present, unvaccinated adults are only excluded from indoor eateries.

The premier also said that unvaccinated churchgoers should have a negative laboratory test, as the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece has already called for.

Greece has so far fully vaccinated about 62 percent of its population of around 11 million. Authorities had hoped for a rate of about 70 percent by Autumn.

Mitsotakis announced that for those over 60 years of age the vaccination certificate will expire seven months after its issuance, therefore citizens over 60 should get the booster shot as soon as possible.

He said that checks would intensify to ensure compliance and added that the public health system is also being strengthened.

“Private ICUs are already being used. The services of private doctors are also required in the areas of high pressure.”

Greece requisitions services of doctors in the private sector

Greece on Thursday began to requisition the services of doctors in the private sector in central and northern Greece as the country’s public health service is struggling to cope with the spread of Covid-19.

Pathologists, lung specialists, and general practitioners are being drafted in order to reinforce the national health system after private doctors failed to come forward in sufficient numbers in response to the Health Ministry’s call for volunteers.

Based on the figures given, some 40 doctors across the country volunteered to participate in the effort.

7,317 new Covid-19 cases and 63 deaths on Thursday in Greece

Earlier on Thursday, Greece confirmed 7,317 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, with 7 of these identified at entry points to the country. said on Thursday.

According to the National Public Health Organization (EODY), since the pandemic began, Greece has confirmed a total of 861,117 infections. In the confirmed cases of the last seven days, 103 infections are related to travel from abroad and 2,879 to other confirmed cases.

There have also 63 been deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of those who died with the virus to 17,075. Of these, 95.3 percent had an underlying condition and/or were aged 70 or over.

A total of 556 patients are now on ventilators in hospitals. Their median age is 65 years and 84.7 percent have an underlying condition and/or are aged 70 or over. Of the total, 459 (82.55 percent) are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated and 97 (17.45 percent) are fully vaccinated.