New vaccination 'mega site' in Corfu opens on Monday

Greece's newest COVID-19 vaccination mega-site will open on Monday (May 31) in the main town of Corfu.

Over the weekend, Deputy Civil Defence Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias visited the center will be able to accomodate 10 separate vaccination lines as part of the country's "Blue Freedom" inoculation plan.

It is located at the National Sports Center of Corfu, and is added to a list of another six such megacenters in Greece - in Maroussi ('Promitheas'), Peristeri, Elliniko, Thessaloniki, Patras and Rhodes.

"From Monday, the vaccination centre in Corfu will be in operation with 10 lines, with the  Johnson & Johnson vaccine... I would like to remind you that Corfu's vaccination rate, for first or second dose, is 23%, below the national average which is close to 33.5%," Hardalias said.

"We appeal to all the inhabitants of the island to embrace this effort. Appointments are available from Monday and it is very important to understand that the image we project abroad is that of a safe island and a safe country, in which travellers should also feel safe and most importantly, those who will host them should also be safe... The request, then, is to trust science, to be all here, to build the wall of immunity here in Corfu, so that we can slowly return to our normalcy," he added.

As of Monday, a new epidemiological map of Greece will be released so that residents of a region can check the level of infections.

The Minister also reiterated the importance of not relaxing basic health measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.

"We are at a key point where we must not make any setbacks," he concluded.

*More on GCT: Antipaxos, Crete, Corfu and Cyprus among Europe’s safest islands for 2021