Greek Court Rules Unvaccinated Nursery, Kindergarten Students Can Be Barred - The National Herald

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Greek Court Rules Unvaccinated Nursery, Kindergarten Students Can Be Barred

December 4, 2020

By The National Herald

A kindergarten teacher reads a fairy story as Panos raising his hand with his twin sister Marina watch the online lesson in Athens, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A kindergarten teacher reads a fairy story as Panos raising his hand with his twin sister Marina watch the online lesson in Athens, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ATHENS – Greece's highest administrative court said children in nursery schools and kindergartens can be expelled if their family didn't get them vaccinated although it wasn't said if that would apply to the expected arrival of the COVID-19 injections.

The court said vaccinations were part of a constitutional obligation of the State to protect public health, over the protests of individuals and groups who don't believe in vaccines against a series of viruses and diseases.

The Council of State said that “it would be contrary to the principle of equality for a person to ask not to be vaccinated” because others around them are, striking a blow against the opponents who've become more vocal during the pandemic.

The case was brought before the court after the municipality of Eastern Macedonia removed four children from an equal number of municipal kindergartens, after their parents refused to vaccinate them for common childhood illnesses despite the risk to other students.

The parents of one girl appealed to the court asking for the annulment of the municipal council’s decision announced earlier, claiming it is unconstitutional and contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) said Kathimerini.

They claimed that their child was “punished” for not getting some of the vaccines and that was being treated differently by her classmates, “for no apparent reason,” although the vaccines are required to protect the public health.

They also argued that the vaccination was “not necessary” since their child was healthy and “there was no pandemic” – denying the presence of COVID-1 9 and the other children enrolled in the kindergarten received the prescribed vaccines.

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