Restrictions allowing only people vaccinated against coronavirus to be served at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes went into effect in Greece on Friday, with diners broadly in favour of the measure as the country grapples with a surge in infections.
As the latest variant (Delta) of the coronavirus rages on around the world, France and Greece have increased the pressure for those who have decided to abstain from getting inoculated by requiring proof of vaccination for entry into certain venues.
In Greece, this will be needed to dine inside of restaurants, bars, and cafes while outdoor dining will not require verification, “The government has launched COVID FREE GR, an application that can scan European digital vaccination certificates to help businesses screen customers and comply with the measure,” (Reuters).
In France, over a 1 million people have rushed to make appointments to get vaccinated after French President Emmanuel Macron set down harsher guidelines. Covid passes will be “required starting in early August to enter restaurants and shopping malls and to get on trains and planes…Health Minister Olivier Veran defended the new rule, saying, ‘The question is: It’s lockdown or the health pass,'” (AP).
What we’re also seeing starting to increase is a frustration towards those who are unvaccinated with some agreeing that unvaccinated and vaccinated people should be treated differently.
People who have been vaccinated say the restriction is the price those refusing to get inoculated will have to pay. ‘I agree that the vaccinated (people) should have some privileges,’ said Yiannis Kamalakis, a customer seated at an indoor cafe in Athens. ‘Whoever does not want to get vaccinated, it is their choice, but they will have to live with certain restrictions.’ (Reuters)
The unvaccinated are being seen as holding back the progress of society and due to that, need to be dealt with more strictly. Here in the US, KTAL5 also addressed this issue stating that “there is growing belief in some public health circles that more aggressive tactics are needed to get more of the population inoculated,” (KTLA5).
CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, on a recent White House Covid briefing also echoed a similar message by stating, “There is a clear message that is coming through: this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” (CBN News).
This thought process isn’t just limited to health professionals and government officials however as Geraldo Rivera – a Fox News personality – recently called for a “crackdown” on the unvaccinated, “No Vaccine, no work, no school, no in-person shopping. You have a right not to be vaccinated. I have the right to protect my kids,” (The Washington Post). In February he also supported the use of vaccine passports.
Vaccine passports are a good idea. They’d benefit both holders of the passport and people with whom they come in contact. And it really doesn’t matter if you don’t like the idea because businesses, colleges, airlines, cruise liners, etc are going to require them (The Washington Post)
At this point, it’s clear that vaccine passports and the issue of whether to mandate the vaccine or not is nothing new. However, the purpose of me highlighting these things is to show the growing trend concerning the perception of the unvaccinated as well as the view of stricter methods needing to be enforced deemed as a necessity or at the very least being accepted as the way forward.
Just a few months ago I wrote an article concerning a USA Today opinion piece arguing that the “vaccine hesitant” needed to be “shunned” by barring them from various levels of society. Before these vaccine passports were even created and were merely a talking point last year, many of us already knew where this was headed. We’re witnessing in real time how a two-tiered system is being developed and strict measures enforced. I’m not surprised by these latest developments and neither should you.
In fact for the believer, as we see these things happening it should serve as a reason to rejoice! I believe that what we’re seeing coming together is both laying the groundwork for and conditioning people to be ready for what’s coming down the line – the mark of the beast. From scripture, we’re clearly given the context as to when the mark of the beast will come to ultimate fruition – during the 7 year tribulation. Before the tribulation even starts, the antichrist must first be revealed and confirm a covenant for a “week” (7 years).
Until the “beast” himself shows up on the world stage, there will be no “mark of the beast”. However, as we see technology and ideas that seem to be laying the groundwork for the mark of the beast system future system, it should show us how close this we are to the tribulation, and even closer, the rapture of the church.
No vaccines, no dinner: indoor Greek restaurants accept only inoculated customers
Reuters: Customers at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes have to prove they have been vaccinated. It is the latest in a series of curbs aimed at saving the summer tourist season and includes foreign tourists. It does not apply at outdoor venues.
People who have been vaccinated say the restriction is the price those refusing to get inoculated will have to pay.
“I agree that the vaccinated (people) should have some privileges,” said Yiannis Kamalakis, a customer seated at an indoor cafe in Athens. “Whoever does not want to get vaccinated, it is their choice, but they will have to live with certain restrictions.”
More than 5,000 anti-vaccine protesters, some waving Greek flags and wooden crosses, rallied outside parliament in Athens on Wednesday to oppose the government’s vaccination programme.
So far about 41% of Greeks aged over 15 years are fully vaccinated. Earlier this week the government ordered mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers and nursing home staff.
“I believe the vaccinated should have advantages over the unvaccinated,” said Leonidas Chalaris, a customer at an indoor cafe. “Since I am vaccinated, I would prefer if others (around me) are also vaccinated.” Read More
French rush to get vaccinated after president’s warning
AP: More than 1 million people in France made vaccine appointments in less than a day, according to figures released Tuesday, after the president cranked up pressure on everyone to get vaccinated to save the summer vacation season and the French economy.
Some bristled at President Emmanuel Macron’s admonition to “get vaccinated!” immediately, but many people signed up for shots, accepting that getting injected was the only way to return to some semblance of pre-pandemic life.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal, noting the latest virus surges from South Africa to South Korea, and vaccine shortages in many poorer countries, appealed to his compatriots Tuesday to “look at what’s happening in the world.”
Macron also announced that special COVID-19 passes will be required starting in early August to enter restaurants and shopping malls and to get on trains and planes. The announcement raised questions and worries among foreign tourists and as residents of France planning vacations.
An app that centralizes France’s vaccine appointments, Doctolib, said Tuesday that 1.3 million people signed up for injections after Macron gave a televised address Monday night. It was a daily record since France rolled out coronavirus vaccines in December. People under age 35 made up most of the new appointments, Doctolib said. Read More
Sources
- No vaccines, no dinner: indoor Greek restaurants accept only inoculated customers (July 16th, 2021) – Reuters
- CDC Director: ‘This Is Becoming a Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’ (July 16th, 2021) – CBN News
- Tougher tactics needed to inoculate the population amid COVID spike among unvaccinated, experts say (July 14th, 2021) – KTLA5
- French rush to get vaccinated after president’s warning (July 13th, 2021) – AP
- Geraldo Rivera calls for crackdown on the unvaccinated: ‘No work, no school, no in-person shopping’ (July 13th, 2021) – The Washington Post
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