Greek Church urges faithful to get vaccinated as cases spike

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s powerful Orthodox Church is urging members of its congregations to attend services with vaccination or test certificates, as the country’s daily number of confirmed new infections hit a record high  for the second time in a few days. The church’s governing Holy Synod made the recommendations Thursday in a directive sent to all Orthodox churches in the country. Religious services were canceled for several months last year, but the government has refused to mandate vaccinations or tests for church attendance in 2021 — despite having introduced tough access restrictions for other indoor venues. Greek health authorities on Thursday reported 6,808 new COVID-19 infections, the highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.