HEALTH MINISTER THANOS PLEVRIS

As of 7 February, vaccination certificates issued in Greece will expire for individuals who have not received a third, booster shot within seven months after the second jab.

About 50 percent of patients with new infections were age 39 or younger, while six percent were age 60 or older. The health minister said that COVID-19 self-tests detected 30 percent of infections over recent days

The new measures concerning the wearing of masks, tele-work, restaurants, and athletics venues are not yet being implemented and will be instituted at the start of the new year.

He said a main problem involves public health measures for night-time entertainment and not restaurants in general, including the hours of operation, the playing of music, and standing customers.

The Holy Synod, of the Orthodox Church of Greece in late July instructed priests nationwide to read at Sunday services an encyclical with questions and answers – drafted by experts – to allay the fears of the faithful and promote vaccination.

With the fourth wave of the pandemic having already arrived, the focus of the health ministry right now is on bolstering public healthcare facilities, drawing from the model implemented when the epidemic was raging

In a damage control sprint, the health minister announced that there will be a 5,000 euro fine for healthcare workers or administrators who forge certificates or issue fake confirmation that an individual has suffered and recovered from COVID-19.