A series of new restrictions and requirements for people who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 were introduced in Greece on Monday. From now on, unvaccinated employees must test themselves at least once a week. Unvaccinated people are also prohibited from staying indoors in restaurants, among other places, the newspaper writes Ekathimerin.
Greek authorities are concerned that the spread of the infection will pick up in the fall, which happened last year. Therefore, several new restrictions are now being introduced that will apply until the end of March next year.
Under the new rules, people working in tourism, education, entertainment and the restaurant industry must be able to show two negative test results a week. Others are forced to take one test a week.
The test costs 10 euros and must be carried out through private healthcare providers. Getting vaccinated is free for everyone over 12 years of age.
Portas from bars
Under the new rules, unvaccinated people are not allowed to stay indoors in restaurants, bars and cafes, which are limited to those who have recently recovered or who have taken at least one dose of vaccine.
However, unvaccinated people are allowed to go to cinemas, theatres, museums and gyms – but only if they can show a negative test result that is no more than 48 hours old. However, the authorities allow businesses to choose whether to exclude unvaccinated people completely.
According to the new rules, it will also be mandatory for everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask in public indoor environments and in well-visited outdoor places.
Turned off healthcare staff
Up to 6,000 healthcare workers were recently suspended from their jobs because they had not been vaccinated before September 1, a deadline set by the authorities.
The measure has been criticized by, among others, the Greek Federation of Healthcare Workers, which claims to be in favor of vaccines but opposes making them mandatory, writes Reuters. There are also concerns about understaffing in healthcare at the same time as infection cases are rising.
Several demonstrations against the authorities' corona measures have taken place in Greece recently, including on Saturday when just over 15,000 people gathered in Thessaloniki.
Protests in France
At the beginning of August, health certificate mandatory for those who want to go to a restaurant in France, something that previously only applied to museums, swimming pools and cinemas. French healthcare staff must get vaccinated before September 15 to avoid having their salaries withheld.
The demands have been met with massive protests. On August 7, more than 200,000 people took part in demonstrations in France against the new rules.
Source: svt.se
