Freedom Pass: Greece Entices Young to Get the Jab with €150 Travel Gift Card

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Greece said on Monday that it would be giving young people 150 euros in vacation money to get the jab against Covid-19 in efforts to accelerate vaccinations ahead of summer.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented the so-called “Freedom Pass” during a minister’s meeting on Monday, announcing that it would be made available by the end of July.

The Freedom Pass is a pre-paid card worth 150 euros to cover costs for travel and entertainment, including air fare or ferry tickets, vehicle rentals, accommodation, admission to museums and archaeological sites, awarded to those aged 18-25 who get vaccinated.

The incentive applies to those who get at least one shot of any vaccine against Covid-19.

Mitsotakis said the Freedom Pass was a “gift of gratitude” to Greece’s youth who withstood months of restrictions and lockdown measures, which he said, undeniably impacted their social life, adding that it was now more than ever critical to get vaccinated with the emergence of the Delta variant which targets younger people.

“This is a debt to our youth, a gift of gratitude, particularly ahead of the summer; a ‘thank you’ for their patience and perseverance,” he said.

“It is also an incentive for young people in particular to be vaccinated, who, by their very nature, contribute more to movement, and the more they are protected, the more we will be able to restrict transmission of the virus,” he said.

Those born between 1996 and 2003 can apply with their social security number (AMKA) for the 150-euro subsidy online here when the platform opens one day after their first vaccination.

The Greek PM pointed out that the initiative would benefit the young, the market and society as whole and went on to add that details regarding privileges for the vaccinated, including having access to indoor spaces, would be announced in the coming days.

Referring to the freedom pass initiative, Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said it was an “invitation to return to normalcy” and urged the young to take advantage of the card.