|HT|
Greece will tighten restrictions on people unvaccinated against the coronavirus as rising cases and hospitalizations strain the nation’s health systems. It joins Germany, Austria and other European countries in attempting to pressure more people into getting their inoculations.
“Even those who are still hesitant can change their minds by listening to what the unvaccinated who get sick have to say,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised national address on Thursday.
Almost nine out of every 10 people in Greek ICUs with Covid-19 are unvaccinated, he said.
Mitsotakis said that from Monday, unvaccinated people will lose access to indoor venues including cinemas, theaters, gyms and museums. The government banned their entrance to restaurants, bars and cafes in early November.
“It is a direct act of protection and, of course, an indirect urge to be vaccinated,” Mitsotakis said. Unvaccinated people can still attend church with a negative test, he said.
Since restrictions made in early November, Greece has reported some 100,000 new Covid-19 cases, more than the total number of cases for October, and almost 1,000 deaths, pushing total casualties since the start of the pandemic to more than 17,000.
Greece’s vaccination numbers have also picked up this month after the earlier round of restrictions.
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