Greece makes vaccination mandatory for all older than 60

ATHENS

Greece announced Tuesday that it would make vaccination mandatory for anyone older than 60 in an attempt to curb the new surge in cases.

"With this political decision, I am sure that human lives will be saved," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during his opening statement at a Cabinet meeting.

Anyone older than 60 who has not been vaccinated as of Jan. 16 must have an appointment booked to receive the first dose.

A monthly fine of €100 ($114) will apply from Jan. 16 and “will be issued by the Authority for Public Revenue and this money will be collected in a special fund that will finance our hospitals” he said.

Of the 580,000 unvaccinated citizens older than 60, only 60,000 have received their jab, said Mitsotakis.

Sixty-three percent of Greece’s 11 million people are fully vaccinated, but vaccination appointments have boomed in the recent weeks, according to the Health Ministry.

The country saw an increase in intubations Monday that has put pressure on the already burdened Greek health system.

A total of 657 patients were intubated, increasing from 647 on Sunday with 104 deaths, according to the National Organization for Public Health.

The number of infections since the start of the pandemic has reached 931,183 with 18,067 deaths.