The Member of Parliament for Piraeus and the Islands, Nikolaos Manolakos, submitted today, Question towards Ministers of Health and Citizen Protection on the topic: «Inclusion in the vaccination plan for small islands, Aegina and the Municipality of Troizinia-Methana», requesting, within the framework of the government policy for the vaccination of residents of small islands, that the municipalities of Aegina and Troizinia – Methana, as the island of Aegina is directly exposed to the spread of the virus from mainland Attica, while the municipality of Troizinia – Methana, due to its particular characteristics, has been subject to the same restrictions and exemptions as the islands of the Regional Unit of Islands since the beginning of the pandemic.
The text of the question is as follows:
QUESTION
Dear Ministers,
As part of the «Freedom Plan,» the government has been implementing a comprehensive vaccination program since February for all interested adult residents of the country's small islands, with the aim of protecting the health of island populations as part of the national tourism promotion strategy for the upcoming tourist season.
According to the data available to date, the population of the islands where «total» vaccination is being implemented has now reached 4,000 inhabitants, while according to statements by the government spokesperson, it is expected to rise to a population limit of 10,000 inhabitants.
With the implementation of the above program, most of the islands in the Attica Region, namely Agistri, Kythira, Spetses, Poros, and Hydra, will join the program. However, Aegina, with a population of 13,056, is currently at risk of not being included in this category, even though it is the destination that is probably more than any other directly exposed to the spread of the virus from mainland Attica.
Furthermore, the Municipality of Troizinia-Methana, with a population of 7,143, although it meets the population criterion, has not yet been included in the program, apparently because it is considered a mainland municipality. However, this municipality is the only mainland municipality in the country that belongs to a Regional Unit of Islands and, due to its proximity and interdependence with the municipality of Poros, it should be treated as an island municipality in terms of the issue of «total» vaccination. Moreover, the Municipality of Troizinia-Methana is served by joint health facilities with the Municipality of Poros, the Galatas Health Center, a joint port in Poros, joint public services, banks, shops, etc., while a large part of the population of each municipality works in the other, especially residents of the Municipality of Troizinia-Methana in tourist businesses on Poros. Moreover, from the beginning of the pandemic until today, the same prohibitions or exceptions that have applied to the islands of the Regional Unit of Islands have applied to this municipality.
In light of the above, the following questions are posed to the relevant ministers:
Do they intend to include the municipalities of Aegina and Troizinia-Methana in the «total» vaccination program for small island municipalities?;
The Questioner
Nikolaos Manolakos
Member of Parliament for New Democracy, Piraeus A and Islands
