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Covid-19: Greece Bans the Unvaccinated from More Indoor Places

Adults in Greece not vaccinated against the coronavirus (Covid-19) will be banned from entering more indoor spaces, including cinemas, theaters, museums and gyms as of Monday, November 22, according to an announcement by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

In a televised address to the nation on Thursday, the PM announced new restrictions for the unvaccinated against Covid-19, following a rise in infections in recent weeks and aiming to face a fourth wave of the pandemic.

“We are up against a pandemic of the unvaccinated, since those vaccinated even if they get sick have mild consequences,” the PM said and encouraged those who have not received the jab to reconsider.

“I am optimistic that they will weigh the situation more calmly and realize that if they are vaccinated, their life will finally become much easier. Without additional restrictions and financial burdens, they will be next to their loved ones and feel more comfortable in society. This is exactly the aim of the additional measures that I am announcing today,” Mitsotakis said.

The following new measures will be in force as of Monday:

All unvaccinated adults, who until now were banned from entering restaurants, cafes and bars, will not be allowed to enter other public venues, including cinemas, theaters, museums or gyms, not even with a negative Covid-19 test.
It is noted that people between the ages of 4 and 17 years old can enter indoor places with a negative Covid-19 self test result.
It should also be clarified that the measure does not include supermarkets, pharmacies, hair salons, shops and hairdressers.
Verification checks to certificates will be conducted at entrances. All certificates (printed or on cell phones) will be scanned by the Covid Free app.
With regard to entering churches, those unvaccinated must present a negative Covid-19 test (rapid or PCR) result from a private health center, or a recovery certificate.

– Vaccination certificates for citizens over 60 will expire for entrance to indoor spaces seven months after the vaccine process was completed (those who have completed vaccination with two doses or with a single-dose vaccine). The PM said that this will allow this age group one month to receive the third dose (booster shot).

Staggered workdays will be introduced in the public and private sectors, with public and private sector, meaning that employees will start work at different times. This is to avoid overcrowding, especially during arrival and departure times, and minimize exposure on public transit systems. Special provisions will apply for employees with children in school.

Photo source: @WTTC

Moreover, Mitsotakis said that checks for vaccination certificates will intensify.

He added that Greece’s national health system is being further supported with more intensive care beds in private clinics and that private doctors will be requisitioned where needed.

“We will move forward with this plan for the next two months to have a better Christmas than we did last year,” the Greek PM said.

Mitsotakis added that he intends to send a request to the European Commission for the EU Digital COVID Certificate to be valid only if it states that holders have received the third vaccine dose (booster shot) six months after completing the initial two-dose series.

“This is to avoid any ‘cracks’ in the wall of immunity that has already been built on our continent,” he said.

Greek health authorities on Thursday announced 7,317 new coronavirus cases, 556 patients on ventilators (459 are unvaccinated or have received only the first vaccine dose) and 63 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of cases in the country has reached 861,117. The Covid-19 death toll in Greece is 17,075.

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About the Author
Nikos is Greek-American born in New York, USA, and has lived in Greece for over 30 years. He is the managing editor of Greece's leading monthly travel and tourism guide, the Greek Travel Pages (GTP) since June 2008 and of news site GTP Headlines since its launch in September 2012. Nikos has also served as international press officer for the City of Athens and for the mayor. He has a degree in Mass Media and Communications, specializing in Journalism. Nikos is a native English speaker and speaks Greek fluently.
  1. Charles Reply

    This is wronging healthy people terribly and ruining countless lives. All those who CANNOT have the vaccine for serious medical reasons are for now permanently banned from cafes, restaurants, tavernas even outside when also any possible transmission rate in the Summer is extremely low, and from other public spaces and events. Yet these people have WRONGED NOONE, and we are liberty whatever the consequences to refuse medical treatment including the human right not to be vaccinated by order of the State.

  2. S N KHAN Reply

    HERE IN GREECE MANY PEOPLE ARE VACCINATED FROM OUT OF GREECE ALSO FROM EUROPE BUT STILL GREECE GOVERNMENT HAVE NO ANY SYSTEM TO CHECK OUT THEIR STATUS EVEN VERIFY THEIR VACCINES CERTIFICATE MUST BE WORK ON THAT BECAUSE IF A MAN WHO VACCINATED IS THATS POSSIBLE TO BE VACCINATE AGAIN

  3. lucien lescanne Reply

    I sincerely suggest letting the doctors prescribe ivermectin, certainly a placebo, but, with an astonishing success rate, since, if taken in the first 48 hours, there is almost no admission to the hospital.
    Given, on the one hand, its low cost,on the other hand
    the absence of side effects if taken at reasonable levels as doctors are able to assess.
    In Argentina, certain states of Brazil, India, the comparison between Utar Pradesh much more deprived than Greece which has managed to have a derisory rate in comparison with Kerala which has bet on a strategy any vaccine that turns out, for the moment, not very effective.
    Vaccination on the one hand and treatment for the first symptoms is clearly an excellent strategy.

  4. Anthony Marcus Reply

    Putting these rules in practice, a vaccinated person who could be positive can go anywhere indoors, yet an unvaccinated person who recently tests negative cannot?
    The world continues to elude logic and common sense, not just Greece. .
    Start concentrating on number of people in hospital, and not number of cases. Perhaps then governments can rethink strategy.

    • Nikh Reply

      I agree with you on this. Why is it that people who are vaccinated but still can get the virus be able to enter places. And yet those who aren’t vaccinated and have a good health be not allowed…. The government needs to reassess this whole situation because it’s stupid now.

  5. Jason Fischer Reply

    What about those who were vaccinated outside the EU, so unable to obtain the EU digital covid certificate/app/qr code? I was vaccinated in the USA and some bars have not allowed me entry, is there a way to get this officiated in some way? I wrote to the US embassy and they told me my CDC is valid, but no retail owners seem to agree…

  6. Pyotr Alexandrovitch Reply

    Covid tests that actually show if people aren’t infected, aren’t allowed anymore. Yet privilege passports from vaccines that don’t protect from infection or transmission, are now the criterium. If the vaccines can’t stop transmission, then what’s the point of the passports?! It all shows how vaccines are not about stopping covid, but about control, and how the plandemic is a political tool. Insane how people are brainwashed from propaganda.

    • Nikh Reply

      Agree

  7. Roger Smith Reply

    The Greek Government are taking a very bold step in trying to reduce Covid19, protect their people and save the lifeblood of their economy…..Tourism. I applaud their stance and for those who don’t wish to conform are going to miss out on one of the most beautiful countries and people’s in the world. Cancel your holiday if your not sure AND your “potential” property buying. There are many others who will listen and go by the latest rules in the fight against Covid and jump into the spaces you leave with more confidence.

  8. John Michael bleasdale Reply

    Have a serious psoriasis skin condition and if I have the double vax I might die . My daughter has a similar condition and nearly died after both Vax in N Ireland. I live in Athens.

  9. Christian Pesch Reply

    One wonders whether the Corona crisis can still be taken seriously. Here are the figures from 19.11.2021 in the morning for Greece. The population of Greece is 10352755. Corona infected over the entire period of the Corona crisis 861117 people. Dead persons 17075. This means that 8.31% of the total population had Corona about the complete period. 1.98% of those infected have died. This means that 0.16% of the total population of Greece has died. This raises the question of whether they all really died of Corona. How old were the people and what pre-existing conditions did they have? Personally, I think that all the measures are totally disproportionate in relation to the figures. Especially when countries like Greece live from tourism and have only a small manufacturing economy. I myself have known Greece very well for 45 years and it hurts me when I see how the country and many others are being destroyed and the population is suffering and losing everything. One wonders if this is proportionate.
    This text was German and translated using Microsoft Bing.

    • Richard R Reply

      This is a an old argument that fails to take account of 1) asymptomatic spread of SARs Cov2 virus 2) Infection Fatality rate varies widely due to various factors including state of the health system and IFR (death rate) is not the only measure of the impact of the virus. The issue is numbers of people requiring hospitalisation and strain on health services. It is also not true that Covid 19 only affects those with pre existing health conditions

      Greece is taking sensible steps to protect the health of its population and economy and ofcourse they are not the only country now doing this

      • Hash Reply

        I’m pretty sure the old argument here is yours Mr. Richard. Asymptomatic spread doesn’t exist among the unvaccinated, only among the vaccinated. Old age with comorbidities IS what makes up the absolute majority of deaths. Now, if you want to hold on to a handful of outliers to justify draconian measures that’s a totally different issue. Please keep up with the science before spreading misinformation.

  10. Adriana Shum Reply

    Excellent. Much more sensible than implementing yet another full lockdown. Greece does not have the medical resources to cope with high incidences of hospitalisations and ICU beds are needed for other people too. While the vaccinated may still pick up the virus, it is very rare for them to be so ill that they require hospitalisation or intubation so vaccinations are the only way forward. Regarding limitations on tourists, Covid-19 shots will be a travel requirement the same as yellow fever and malaria precautions for the tropics. If you want to travel to certain places, you have to take certain precautions.

  11. Steve Whitty Reply

    What about people with serious medical conditions such as heart problems and blood clotting. There is no exemption??? We must just get vaccinated and die!!! Or we must be treated like second class citizens. Greece is becoming a Nazi state.

    • Adriana Shum Reply

      It is those who cannot be vaccinated for valid medical reasons who are the most vulnerable and are also the most likely to be seriously ill. Until such time as the majority of the population is vaccinated and the much desired state of ‘herd immunity’ is achieved, they will have to take every possible precaution to avoid infection. If that means avoiding potential hot spots such as indoor venues and crowded locations, so be it. There is no magic wand that makes those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons invincible against the virus.

      • Belinda Reply

        Except having had the virus already….where you are more at risk from the vaccine than from the virus as you are naturally immune and unable to transmit. The problem is most of us had the virus in March 2020…we are still immune (provably) but not able to be exempted from this ridiculous rule.

      • HK Reply

        I’m a person who is “vulnerable” and can’t do the vaccine for medical reasons, and let me tell you something, my life turned into hell because of these measures. I used to have to do an insane amount of tests (spending god knows how much of my salary on them), and now I’m barred from entering said spaces that are supposedly there to protects me. What I then quickly realised, was that these measures aren’t about protecting us but about government control and forced obedience.

  12. R Ferguson Reply

    Ridiculous those who are vaccinated can catch and spread the virus, its basically gone here in the UK what about those who have natural immunity i thought the Nazi left Greece in 1945. I have holiday booked next year in Greece but if this attitude keeps up i will be cancelling, been going 25 plus years but will not be treated like a leper.

    • Daph Reply

      I agree with you, we will cancel our trip and potential buying a home.

      • Ann Diamond Reply

        The charts for Greece show cases began rising in June along with vaccination rates. The same is true for Germany. African countries like Zimbabwe with very low rates of vaccination are basically Covid free.

        Check the data for yourself before you believe governments that keep saying this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

    • Belinda Reply

      Completely agree. We go every year but not anymore.

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