Greece is offering incentives for its young people to get vaccinated.

As part of a drive to boost vaccination rates, the government is offering 150-euro cash vouchers and a free month of phone data.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a ministerial meeting that the “gift” to be offered with the first jab is “a debt to the youth, a gift of gratitude”.

It is anticipated that 940,000 Greeks aged from 18 to 25 years will get their first shot by the end of the year. They will then be eligible for the “freedom pass” cash bonus, the government said.

These will be available to spend from 15 July, just in time for summer holidays, filled with cultural events.

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Aegean Airlines also announced on Tuesday that it is doubling the value of the government’s ‘Freedom Pass’ to encourage young people to start travelling again. The carrier announced that people aged between 18 and 25 who get vaccinated will acquire a Freedom Pass by 31 August. An additional euro will be offered by Aegean for every euro spent purchasing a ticket, thus doubling its value. The pass will apply for trips made between 1 September, 2021, and 30 June, 2022.

At the moment, government figures show that a third of the 11-million population of Greece is vaccinated.

Greece could have 80 per cent rates of vaccination by autumn, government official Marios Themistocleous said on Monday during a weekly briefing.

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Restrictions have been easing as infections fall, but there are concerns regarding the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

Since the start of the pandemic in Greece, there have been 12,682 deaths and 421,266 confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in the country.

 

Aegea

According to the carrier’s announcement, for people aged between 18 and 25 who get vaccinated and acquire a Freedom Pass by August 31, Aegean will offer an additional euro for every euro spent purchasing a ticket, thus doubling its value.

The offer will be valid for trips made between September 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.