The Greek government has announced that live music venues, indoor and open-air sports stadiums, bars, clubs and indoor restaurants, will be off-limits for citizens who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Under the regulations, projected to be in place from 13 September to 31 March, people who have recovered from coronavirus will also be permitted entry to leisure and entertainment establishments.

The measures were announced on Tuesday (24 August) when Greece recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.

“These measures aren’t punitive,” said health minister, Vassilis Kikilias, on Tuesday. “They are our duty to all those who went through 18 months of the pandemic carefully, those who lost their shops, jobs and had to work from home to protect themselves.”

“THESE MEASURES AREN’T PUNITIVE”

Kikilias said that citizens would have to provide proof they had been vaccinated, or had recovered from the disease, through an app that scans Covid-19 certificates.

Other venues, including theatres, cinemas, museums and archaeological sites, will allow access to people who have not had the vaccine but only if they provide proof of a negative rapid test conducted within 48 hours prior.

Rapid tests, which are currently free of charge, would cost €10 for all those who had not been vaccinated, Kikilias said. Testing will continue to be free for those who have been vaccinated.

As of yesterday, just over half (52.5%) of the nation’s population have been fully vaccinated, according to the Reuters Covid-19 tracker.

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