ATHENS, Greece — If healthcare professionals in Greece refuse to be vaccinated, they will be fired, according to a new obligatory policy announced by the country’s prime minister on Monday.
All indoor business areas, including pubs, cinemas, and theatres, will be open exclusively to the vaccinated beginning Friday and lasting until the end of August.
The new limitations will be in effect throughout the country, including on the Greek islands and other popular tourist sites.
Just over 40% of people have been completely vaccinated, but vaccine appointments have been declining in recent weeks, forcing the government to put further pressure on vaccine doubters.
Long lockdowns and a sharp decline in tourism in 2020 stopped Greece’s financial improvement and sent the country into recession, with the GDP falling 8.2% last year. According to the European Commission, production will increase by 4.3 percent this year and 6.0 percent in 2022 if tourism recovers and further lockdowns are averted.