Greece fines residents who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19

Nearly a quarter of the adult population in Greece remains unvaccinated and the ICU occupancy rate is close to capacity nationwide.

ATHENS, Greece – With Greece’s first public authorization for immunization, the Greek prime minister announced Tuesday that Greek residents over the age of 60 will have to undergo mandatory coronavirus vaccinations or face monthly fines of €100 ($114) starting from the year next.

The Greek government decided on this measure in response to the increase in new daily infections and the emergence of the omicron variant.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised statement that the decision will take effect on January 16 and the fines will be added to tax bills.

The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Greece exceeded 18,000 this week with new infections confirmed at high levels. Nearly a quarter of the country’s adult population remains unvaccinated.

Vaccination mandates have been introduced over the summer for healthcare workers and rescue workers in Greece’s fire service, with those who do not comply with being suspended indefinitely without pay.

The government has ruled out imposing new lockdowns but says it is targeting the elderly with stricter restrictions to protect public health services as intensive care unit occupancy approaches nationwide capacity.

“The new alternative from Omicron is a concern for us and means we have to be vigilant,” Mitsotakis said.

“Unfortunately, of the 580,000 unvaccinated citizens of our country over the age of 60, only 60,000 scheduled vaccination dates in November,” he said. “But it is the people over the age of 60 who need hospital treatment and unfortunately lose their lives. These deaths are unnecessary.”

The opposition left-wing Syriza party accused the center-right government of shifting the responsibility of fighting the virus to ordinary Greeks and “targeting people over the age of 60…with punitive and financially burdensome measures that have not been implemented anywhere else in the world.”

Development Minister Adonis Gorgadis acknowledged it was a “politically difficult decision”, but defended the measure as the only way forward.

“If we chose the easy way, we would say: It’s their problem,” he said in parliament. “(Unvaccinated people over the age of 60) will not be vaccinated, they will die by the thousands and we will wash our hands of them so that we do not lose their votes. This is an unethical course of action.”

No details were provided on how Greek authorities were able to determine whether people over the age of 60 had been vaccinated. One possible way would be to check government social security databases, although this would require notification of the independent data protection agency and special legislation to do so.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos