Greece to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for over-60s

Commuters wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 are seen in a bus, in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. Greece reported a new record high for daily COVID-19 infections on Monday as vaccination appointments shot up after new restrictions on unvaccinated people kicked in over the weekend. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A woman adjusts her face mask as she passes a Christmas decorated shop front window in Athens, Greece, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. Greece has recorded a spike in deaths and infections related to COVID-19 this month, amid heightened concerns in Europe due to the Omicron variant. The Greek government has ruling out the prospect of a general lockdown. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pedestrians, some of them wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, cross a road at Syntagma square in Athens, Greece, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. Greece has recorded a spike in deaths and infections related to COVID-19 this month, amid heightened concerns in Europe due to the Omicron variant. The Greek government has ruling out the prospect of a general lockdown. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A man wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus walks in Athens, Greece, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. Greece has recorded a spike in deaths and infections related to COVID-19 this month, amid heightened concerns in Europe due to the Omicron variant. The Greek government has ruling out the prospect of a general lockdown. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Residents in Greece over age 60 will be fined 100 euros (more than $110) a month if they fail to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, under the first general COVID-19 mandate announced by the country’s government.

The measure was announced in response to a surge in cases and the emergence of the omicron variant. It will come into effect on Jan. 16 with the fines to be added to their tax bills, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised announcement Tuesday.

Greece’s death toll exceeded 18,000 this week with confirmed infections at record levels, as roughly a quarter of the country’s adult population remains unvaccinated.

Vaccination mandates were introduced over the summer for health care workers and fire service rescuers, with those failing to comply being suspended from their jobs indefinitely without pay.

The government has ruled out imposing new lockdowns but says it is targeting the elderly with tougher restrictions to protect the public health service as ICU occupancy is near capacity nationwide.

“The new omicron variant is a concern for us and means we must be vigilant,” Mitsotakis said.

“Unfortunately, of the 580,000 unvaccinated of our fellow citizens over the age of 60, only 60,000 set up appointments to get vaccinated in November,” he said. “But it is mainly people over 60 who require hospital treatment and sadly lose their life. These deaths are unnecessary.”

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