ATHENS – Further exempting themselves from measures they put on others, Greece's Parliament won't be subject to restrictions for those not vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic, and won't be barred from the building.

Parliament Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas from the ruling New Democracy said five or six lawmakers aren't vaccinated – he didn't say why he didn't know exactly and didn't name them the public officials. But he said they will be allowed to freely come and go while the unvaccinated in the general population won't be allowed into restaurants, concerts, movie theaters and other public gathering places.

The state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) reported Tasoulas told reporters that the unvaccinated MPs are from two parties he didn't name although one is the former ruling SYRIZA. One of the leftists key members, former deputy health minister – a surgeon – is a prominent anti-vaxxer who said he doesn't believe in science although he's a physician and who took to the floor to rail about compulsory shots for health car workers. While SYRIZA leader and former premier Alexis Tsipras was among the first to get vaccinated, cutting the line to jump ahead of the elderly and those most susceptible, he also opposes mandatory shots or restriction on those who aren't inoculated.

Tassoulas said the unvaccinated MP's will have to take two Coronavirus tests weekly but didn't say if they would be molecular or self-tests or if proof would have to be submitted they were free of the virus, the pandemic spreading again because of anti-vaxxers and the contagious Delta Variant from India. He said 10 percent of Parliament's staff is also unvaccinated but didn't say if they would be subject to any restrictions, as they weren't from no smoking laws they were allowed to ignore that the lawmakers passed, and from austerity measures imposed on others.