Athens: Greece Monday imposed a vaccination mandate for people over the age of 60, because the coverage remained below the European Union average and a recent surge in infection had experienced pressure on the hospital.
Older people fail to vaccinate will face penalties, starting at a fine of 50-euro ($ 57) in January and followed by a monthly fine of 100 euros ($ 114) after that.
About two-thirds of the 10.7 million Greek populations are currently entirely vaccinated – the average EU is more than 70%.
Daily mortality and hospitalization rates have increased after recent distribution of omicron variants, although the pressure on the ICU capacity decreases slightly.
Health Minister Thanos Plervis said the fine would be collected through the tax office with money to be used to help fund the State Hospital.
“The age factor is important because of its impact on public health services,” said Plevris to a private open TV on Sunday.
The vaccination mandate was put in place for last year’s health care workers.
And starting February 1, a vaccination certificate for adults will expire after seven months unless the holder receives a booster shot.
New infections jumped sharply in early January, and had subsided for the past week.
The mandate for more than the 60s was announced at the end of December and, according to government data, around 41.5% of the 530,000 people targeted with the size are now fully vaccinated.
Greece has the seventh oldest population in the world, which is measured by a population share of 65 years and above, according to the US-based population reference bureau.