Greece has decided to make it mandatory for all people aged above 60 to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and will start imposing fines starting mid-January.
Unvaccinated individuals in the age group should either have taken a first dose or have an appointment scheduled by Jan. 16, 2022, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
There will be a monthly fine of €100 ($115) after that date, he added.
Mitsotakis said around 580,000 Greek citizens in the 60 age group are still unvaccinated, despite the cohort having the highest number of hospitalizations and fatalities in the country.
“It is not a punishment. It is the price of health and an act of justice for everyone who has been vaccinated,” the premier said, adding that the money collected from fines will go to state hospitals.
He stressed that the government will not let citizens suffer just because some people are overburdening the health system “by stubbornly refusing to do what is obviously necessary.”
