Vaccination certificates valid for longer
The validity of Covid vaccination and recovery certificates will be extended to nine months from seven and to six months from three respectively, Health Minister Thanos Plevris announced on Friday.
Speaking to Skai TV, Plevris said the move follows the recommendation of the European Commission for the harmonization of the duration of these documents among member-states. According to Plevris, the issue has been brought to the attention of the committee of experts advising the government on Covid issues, which should formally give the green light to increase the validity period of the certificates.
At the moment, at least, there is no expiration date on the vaccination certificate for those who have had three doses of the vaccine.
Regarding the fourth dose, Plevris reiterated that there should first be a joint decision at the European level and a relevant opinion by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which, he said, is expected very soon.
Weighing in on the plan to de-escalate the restrictive measures during the summer months, he noted that “what we are interested in is that as we approach the summer we move closer to normalcy.”
What’s more, he reckoned that in May the obligation to show a certificate to enter various places will be lifted.
He added that ending the mask mandate indoors is not something that is being considered at present.
“The use of masks indoors is estimated as a relatively mild measure. It is not a measure that restricts either the mobility of our fellow citizens or the economic and social life of the place, and it greatly protects against the virus. Given that indoor activities are very limited in the summer, we do not think we need to consider lifting the mask mandate immediately,” he stated.
