Greece announced Tuesday that it is mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for residents over age 60 — and those who don’t comply will face a monthly fine.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the decision was a difficult one but necessary for the more than half a million elderly Greeks who had failed to get the vaccine.
“[The decision] tortured me, but I feel a heavy responsibility in standing next to those most vulnerable, even if it might fleetingly displease them,” he said.
Those who don’t comply with the order by Jan. 16 will be subjected to a recurring monthly fine of 100 euros, or about $112.
Currently, around 63 percent of the country’s 11 million population is fully vaccinated against the virus.
But while vaccination rates have improved in recent weeks, there are around 520,000 people over the age of 60 who have yet to get the jab, according to health ministry data.
“We are focusing our efforts on protection of our fellow citizens, and for this reason, their vaccination will be mandatory from now on,” Mitsotakis told a cabinet meeting.
Greece’s main opposition party, Syriza, blasted the new rule as punitive and too excessive for the elderly, who receive an average monthly pension of 730 euros, or $823.
“This hasn’t happened anywhere,” it said.
The move comes as many countries have rolled out new restrictions in response to the Omicron variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than the original COVID-19 strain.
But experts have cautioned that more research is needed about the variant, including whether it causes more severe cases of illness.
With Post wires
