Greek PM announces strict COVID measures

Health care workers in Greece will be suspended if they refuse to get vaccinated under a new mandatory policy announced by the country's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a televised address on Monday.

Staff at nursing homes will be suspended starting August 16 if they fail to book a vaccination appointment, with a similar policy to follow in September for workers at state-run and private hospitals.

Starting Friday, and until the end of August, all indoor commercial areas, including bars, cinemas, and theaters, will only be available for the vaccinated.

The new restrictions will apply nationwide, including the Greek islands and other tourism destinations.

COVID-19 infections in Greece have surged since late June with authorities blaming carelessness at bars and restaurants as well as the spread of the highly infectious delta variant.

The number of daily infections per 100,000 residents rose from 3.5 on June 24 to current levels above 17 as a seven-day rolling average.

Just over 40% of the country's citizens and residents have been fully vaccinated but appointments to start the vaccine process have been falling in recent weeks, prompting the government to increase pressure on vaccine skeptics.

Authorities from Thursday will begin accepting vaccination requests from minors aged over 14 with parental consent.