Greece Introduces Prepaid Card Perk for Vaccinated Young Adults

(Bloomberg) -- Greece’s government will offer the country’s young adults a prepaid gift card to encourage them to get their first Covid-19 vaccination dose.

A prepaid card worth 150 euros ($179), to be known as the ‘Freedom Pass’, will be given to Greeks between the ages of 18 and 25 after getting their first jab. The move will begin July 15.

Young Greeks who have completed their vaccination with one of the four available vaccines will be able to spend their 150 gift on travel, leisure, accommodation, cinemas, theaters and museums, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Monday. The move will direct public funds to sectors being hurt by the pandemic, such as tourism and culture.

A set of measures to facilitate life for remaining adults who have been fully vaccinated is due to be announced in the coming days. So far, a total of 3.6 million Greeks over the age of 18 have been fully vaccinated, while the government expects almost half of the population of around 10 million to be fully vaccinated by end of July.

The Delta variant “is threatening us all” with possible new trouble in the fall,” Mitsotakis said. “The young are the ones who can put a stop to it, by stepping up their vaccinations,” he said.

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