Entitled «No country tougher on the anti-vaccinators from Greece’, a report by German newspaper Welt comments on the Greek government's measures for the compulsory vaccination of health workers.
As Welt notes, «Greece has not been expected to make consistent decisions for a long time» and yet «apart from the health sector, compulsory vaccination is also mandatory for the army. From mid-September, those not vaccinated will have to pay out of pocket for coronavirus tests. Employers can request up to two tests per week from unvaccinated workers.».
According to Welt, «there are economic reasons why Athens is so strongly opposed to the unvaccinated. The country can no longer afford it. lockdown. The government has already ruled out such a measure. At the same time, Greece is in the middle of the fourth wave (...)». Elsewhere, the paper says that «the government is confident in its strategy - and the early evidence seems to prove it right. Until recently, those rejecting vaccination were estimated at around 20% of health workers. However, under pressure from the new measures, many were vaccinated just before the deadline, according to reports. Based on recent estimates, 10% of health workers are unvaccinated».
The article concludes by quoting another viewpoint: «The extension of compulsory vaccination to other groups in the public sector is under discussion. Health professionals, such as paramedics Elizabeth Palioura, find the measures incomprehensible, and there have been repeated protests against the policy. The patients who come to us are not vaccinated either’ she says. Why are we unemployed now? Are we being punished for giving something back to society?»
