Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday announced a two-tiered vaccination policy. It will give young adults 150 euros (USD 180) toward vaccinations. Upon receiving the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination, Greek citizens under age 26 will be eligible for a digital wallet credit beginning July 15. ‘We hope young people will take advantage of this opportunity. I thank you for acting responsibly,’ Mitsotakis stated in a speech.
Greece, heavily dependent on tourism, is looking for ways to fully reopen its economy after recently making the vaccine available to all adults. Deputy Minister of Digital Policy, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, said the digital wallet will focus on the tourism and entertainment industries. ‘This card is not accepted everywhere. It will be aimed at specific activities,’ Pierrakakis said.
It can be used (to buy) air, ferry, and railway tickets, for car rentals, camping grounds, (holiday) accommodation, travel services, visiting the cinema, theater, music and dance performances, museums, and archeological sites. Officials say additional freedoms will be granted to vaccination certificate holders, but they don’t have final details on the policy. They also say they are investigating legal options to make vaccination compulsory for various employment categories, including nursing home staff.
Read more: Breaking News: Six injured after a huge fire and explosion near Elephant & Castle station
Approximately 1,000,000 people receive vaccines daily in Greece, a country with a population of 10.7 million. The reluctance of certain age groups to receive vaccines is a major concern for public health officials as cases of the highly contagious delta variant continue to rise throughout Europe. As of June 30, the government estimates that 35 percent of the population, or 42 percent of the adult population, will have completed their vaccinations, with those numbers expected to rise to 48 percent and 57 percent, respectively, by the end of July.
Post Your Comments