Yahoo Finance Greece makes Covid jabs mandatory for over-60s as Europe battles virus surge
Greece will make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for all people aged over 60 from January to deal with an infection surge and the emergence of the omicron variant.
The legislation, backed by the centre-right government and some opposition MPs on Wednesday, means older citizens will be fined 100 euros for every month they remain unvaccinated.
Some 17 per cent of Greeks aged over 60 have yet to receive a jab. Nine in 10 Greeks currently dying of Covid-19 are in that age group.
“I don’t care whether the measure will cost me some extra votes in the elections,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after lawmakers passed the measure. “I am convinced that we are doing the right thing and I am convinced that this policy will save lives.”
Greece has seen a spike in infections this month, with daily cases hitting record highs.
It recorded 6,677 cases and 104 deaths on Monday, taking the total to 18,067 deaths since the start of the pandemic in March last year.
In a bid to curb infections, in November the government barred unvaccinated people from entering indoor spaces including restaurants, cinemas, museums and gyms, even if they had tested negative for the coronavirus.
Employing a carrot instead of a stick, Slovakia’s government is proposing to give people 60 and older a 500 euro bonus if they get vaccinated.
It comes after Austria became the first country in the world to make vaccines mandatory for its residents.
Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced earlier this month that it would be compulsory for all Austrians to be jabbed from February 1.
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