Breaking: Greece makes Covid vaccinations mandatory for over-60s, fines for those who refuse

Breaking: Greece makes Covid vaccinations mandatory for over-60s, fines for those who refuse.

GREECE will make Covid vaccines mandatory for people aged 60 and over, the country’s government said on Tuesday, November 30. The Greek government will also fine those (over 60) who have not received their first COVID-19 jab.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “Greeks over the age of 60 who have not been vaccinated must, by January 16, booked an appointment for their first dose, or else they will face a €100 administrative fine every month.”

“This is protection, not punishment,” Mitsotakis said.

The country’s parliament must approve this mandatory vaccination measure but MPs are expected to approve the government’s proposal, according to German newspaper, Bild.

In Greece, COVID vaccinations are already mandatory for staff working at care homes for the elderly – a measure that has been in place since August – with compulsory vaccinations for the health sector coming into force in September.

The news from Greece comes after Austria became the first country in the world to set a date to make vaccines mandatory for its residents.

Austria’s Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein and Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler confirmed today (November 30) that the country is planning to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory from as early as February 1.

Mückstein said that the vaccines are the “only way the country can get closer to avoiding a fifth and sixth wave [of the virus] or further lockdowns.”

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