Greece is requiring individuals aged 60 and older to either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or else face financial punishment.
The Associated Press reported that those who forego vaccination will get slapped with a 50 euro ($57) fine this month and then with a 100euro ($114) monthly fine going forward.
The outlet further reported that “about 69% of Greece’s 10.7 million people are fully vaccinated, just under the EU average of 70.3%. COVID-19 deaths and daily hospitalizations in Greece have increased following the arrival of the highly contagious omicron variant, although the overwhelming majority of people in the hospital or dying of the virus have the delta variant. Pressure on ICU capacity has eased slightly.”
Health Minister Thanos Plevris noted that the payments would be collected via the tax office and utilized to assist in funding state hospitals, the outlet noted.
“The age factor is important because of its impact on the public health service,” Plevris told Open TV, according to the AP.
“Mandatory vaccination is a means of individual and collective protection,” Greek government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou stated during a news briefing, according to CNN. “In any case, as the deadline for their vaccination has expired, the law will be applied in full.”
Not everyone in the older age bracket who remains unvaccinated will be hit with fines. According to the AP, “Oikonomou said only people with legitimate health exemptions, those who had suffered a recent infection and applicants for home vaccination appointments that were delayed would be spared the fine.”
This is an excerpt from TheBlaze.
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