ATHENS – Proof of recovery from COVID-19 will no longer be accepted in Greece for those who were reinfected, now barred from access to most public gathering sports apart from supermarkets and pharmacies.

That means unless they get vaccinated that they won’t be allowed entry at bars, restaurants, cafes, retail stores and other public venues, the Health Ministry said at a briefing with reporters.

The rules had been tightened before the Christmas 2021 holidays and

Vana Papaevangelou, a professor in infectious disease and a member of the government’s advisory panel of doctors and scientists said that passes will be issued to people who became infected after being vaccinated but before having the chance to get a booster shot.

That comes as the minstry had however eased some health measures and is due to relax them even more on March 1, with Greece opening to international travelers on March 7 without requiring negative tests from some countries, including the United States.

“We are not near the end of the pandemic. We are not ready to stop all the measures,” she said, reported Kathimerini.

“We will live with the virus for some time to come and given the present picture we are not ready to follow the example of other countries and go ahead with a complete abolition of all restrictions,” Papaevangelou also added.