Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued a public plea today to teachers and all employees at schools to get their COVID-19 jabs in order to ensure the safe opening of schools in September.
The PM issued the call at an Athens conference on the repercussions of COVID-19 co-sponsored by World Health Organisation European Region, amid a spate of press reports that the government is deliberating over whether to institute compulsory vaccination for all Greek primary and secondary school teachers.
The government is reportedly also mulling the possibility of mandatory inoculation of university students.
The government’s stated objective is for teachers all students from primary through tertiary education to return to their classrooms in September.
Education Minister Niki Kerameus recently announced that 73 percent of educators have already been vaccinated or have booked an appointment, even as she urged the rest to follow suit.
The PM urge all healthcare workers and teachers as well as all workers at schools, including guards and school bus drivers, to be vaccinated.
Mental health of children, adolescents
“I am concerned about the mental health of children and adolescents,” the PM said, underlining the importance of their return to school.”
“What is the best policy for handling this issue during a pandemic? The best policy is for our children to return to school as soon as possible. That is why the vaccination of educators is so important,” he said. “If a primary school teacher falls ill, it is very difficult to replace them. In such cases the school or a section of it must shut down in one or two weeks.”
“That is why I am issuing a plea to all primary and secondary school teachers. Please, get vaccinated!” he declared, noting that this will permit the re-opening of schools safely and with the fewest possible problems in September
