ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece will start vaccinating teenagers once it gets the go-ahead from experts, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, after Athens earlier this week offered those aged 18-25 cash and phone data in exchange for getting a shot.
Some 44% of Greeks aged over 18 have been vaccinated and the country has been easing restrictions as infections fall.
But with concerns about the spread of the more contagious Delta variant rising, the government has introduced extra incentives to boost vaccination rates in the build-up to the holidays.
A member of the country’s vaccinations committee said they were considering advising the government to target youngsters aged 15 to 17.
Greece relies on tourism for a fifth of its economy and has reported a total of 422,456 cases and 12,706 related deaths since the start of the pandemic. It is keen to welcome more tourists this year to save another summer lost to the pandemic.
Tourists with a negative COVID test or a vaccination certificate can travel to the country without the need to quarantine.
Industry officials have said that the average occupancy rate at hotels across the country is 35% to 45% but bookings have frozen and how the summer holiday season progresses will depend much on whether Britain will decide to allow its citizens to come without the need to isolate on their return.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
