Athens, Aug 25 (IANS): The Greek government has announced a package of stricter measures and restrictions for people who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of efforts to contain the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Those who are not inoculated against the virus will face new restrictions in workplaces, schools, entertainment venues, sports halls, gyms and travelling, and will bear the cost of PCR or rapid tests, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias told a press conference here on Tuesday.
The measures will become effective from September 13 until April 2022, reports Xinhua news agency.
"Now the state has the obligation to ensure a smooth and safe, as far as possible, as well as socially fair return to normalcy," he stressed.
Under the new rules, non-vaccinated employees in the public and private sector without a certificate proving vaccination or recent recovery from Covid-19 will have to provide certificates of a negative PCR or rapid test once a week to enter their workplace.
Employees in catering and tourism businesses, theatres, dance, cinema or TV productions, as well as teachers and university professors and university students will have to take a test twice a week.
The non-vaccinated peoplewill also have to take a test 48 hours at most before travelling on airplanes, ships, trains, buses across Greece or in order to enter indoor theatres, cinemas, museums and gyms.
In all cases they will have to pay themselves all the tests that should be conducted in private diagnostic centres. Only school pupils under 17 will be provided free of charge with self-tests to conduct twice a week.
Access to indoor restaurants, cafeterias, bars, clubs and sports venues will be restricted to fully vaccinated citizens and those with proof of recovery during the last six months, the Minister said.
Those who will not comply will face suspension from work and will be forbidden to attend class or travel.
The use of face masks will remain mandatory in all indoor areas and crowded outdoor areas.
More than 90 per cent of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) across the country in the past two months were non-vaccinated, Kikilias said, urging more people to get the shot.
So far, 5.6 million people in Greece have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 53.5 per cent of the general population and 62.7 per cent of the adult population, according to the Health Ministry.