Greece sets new restrictions for unvaccinated, ends free testing

ATHENS: Greece’s government on Tuesday announced an array of new restrictions and the end of free testing for those who remain unjabbed against Covid-19 in an effort to boost vaccination rates.

Starting from September 13, unvaccinated employees in the private and public sectors will have to be tested at their own expense once or twice a week, depending on their profession. University students will also have to pay for two rapid tests a week, while school pupils will be given self-testing kits free of charge.

Free tests at public facilities will be limited only to those who have already been vaccinated or have clear coronavirus symptoms. The cost of the rapid tests will be set at 10 euros, a considerable amount for a country where the gross minimum wage is 650 euros.

"These measures are not punitive," Greek Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said. "They are our duty to all those who went through 18 months of the pandemic carefully, those who lost their shops, jobs, had to work from home to protect themselves."

"Do we live or play Russian roulette with the coronavirus?" he asked, adding that more than 90 percent of those in ICU beds in hospitals are unvaccinated. Under the new rules, only those vaccinated or with immunity certificates will be allowed in cafes, restaurants, clubs and sports venues.

Cinemas, theatres, museums and gyms will be open to those who are unvaccinated, but they will have to come with a negative test taken up to 48 hours before admission. Earlier this summer, Greece’s parliament passed a bill introducing mandatory vaccinations of all health workers, including those working in retirement homes.

Some 5.6 million people, out of a total population of about 10.7 million in Greece, have been fully jabbed.Meanwhile, Iran announced more than 700 deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday, yet another high for the Islamic republic as it struggles to contain a surge in infections.

The health ministry said the virus claimed another 709 lives in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous daily record of 684 deaths reached on Sunday. The pandemic has claimed 103,357 lives out of 4,756,394 cases of infection, according to the ministry, whose figures officials have acknowledged understate the real toll.

Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that his government would prioritise tackling Covid and accelerating vaccinations. The Islamic republic was one of the first countries to be hit by the virus after China.

Since announcing its first cases in February 2020, the authorities have refrained from imposing full lockdowns, instead closing public spaces such as schools on a case-by-case basis. The latest nationwide curbs lasted six days before they were lifted on Sunday, but a ban on travel between provinces by private car remains in place until August 27.

Choked by US sanctions that have made it difficult to transfer money abroad, Iran says it has struggled to import vaccines. Fewer than 6.5 million of Iran’s 83 million people have received a second vaccine dose, according to official figures.Brunei reported two coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, the first fatalities from Covid-19 in the Southeast Asian nation in over a year as it battles a fresh outbreak.

An 85-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both Bruneians, died after contracting lung infections following their admission to a quarantine centre this month, the health ministry said.

It brings the total virus deaths in the sultanate on Borneo island to five since the start of the pandemic. The country, home to about 450,000 people, reported its last Covid-19 death in June last year.

Brunei introduced fresh curbs in August after seeing its first local infections for 15 months. Authorities have closed cinemas and places of worship, banned dining in at restaurants and barred people from leaving their homes except for essential reasons.

Another 110 new virus cases were recorded on Tuesday, taking total infections to 1,983 since the beginning of the pandemic. Brunei’s outbreak remains small compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, which are battling fierce virus waves driven by the Delta variant.