International
10,000 unvaccinated Greek health workers face suspension: union
AFP
Some 10,000 health workers in Greece faced being suspended as a deadline to get vaccinated against Covid-19 ran out on Wednesday, a union said.
From September 1, inoculations become mandatory for health workers, and those who don’t comply will not be allowed to work.
Protests broke out on Wednesday morning in front of hospitals throughout the country to oppose compulsory vaccinations and to highlight the consequences of mass dismissals on the country’s health services.
According to estimates by the National Federation of Public Hospital Workers, some 10,000 health workers, or 10 percent of the workforce, had not been jabbed by Wednesday.
More specifically, the ambulance service will have to work with 1,245 less personnel, financial newspaper Naftemporiki reported.
“We are pushing health workers to be vaccinated, but we are against compulsory vaccination, which poses a democratic problem,” Dimitris Kourouvalakis, a member of the executive committee of the federation, told AFP.
The federation has called for a strike on Thursday morning, and protests in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece’s second biggest city.
Health Minister Athanassios Plevris said Wednesday that the legislation bringing in mandatory vaccinations, which was voted in July, “will be implemented.”
The government is now trying to find measures to fill the gaps, such as suspending holidays for health workers who have been vaccinated, to ensure that services are fully operational.
It also plans to move ahead with a reshuffle of healthcare workers within hospitals, mergers of clinics, the replacement of those suspended with auxiliary staff and partnerships with the private sector.
According to the government, over 90 percent of patients currently hospitalised with Covid-19 are not vaccinated.
More than 5.7 million in a 10.7-million-strong population are fully jabbed.
International
Delta Airlines cancels 1,100 flights amid winter storm chaos
More than 3,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and thousands more were delayed due to a winter storm in the southern United States, according to airlines and the flight tracking website FlightAware. Delta Airlines crews expect to return to normal operations on Saturday, the company stated in a release.
“Unforeseen severe winter conditions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia) caused the closure of all five runways for more than two hours on Friday morning,” the airline said. Delta canceled about 1,100 flights across its network on Friday due to the “freezing rain that fell throughout the day and early afternoon, leading to diversions.”
Additionally, a Delta Airlines aircraft had to abort its takeoff due to a motor issue, also at Atlanta Airport.
More than 200 passengers and crew members aboard a Boeing 757-300 bound for Minneapolis were evacuated via emergency slides, according to a statement from the airline reported by U.S. media. An investigation is underway.
Airports in Dallas Fort Worth (Texas) and Charlotte Douglas (North Carolina) were also affected by the severe weather, with over 1,200 flights canceled.
International
At least 20 injured in tram collision at Strasbourg Train Station tunnel
On Saturday afternoon, two trams collided in the tunnel leading to the Strasbourg train station in northeastern France, resulting in at least 20 injuries, according to the local prefecture. “The initial assessment indicates that 20 people are in a state of relative emergency,” said a spokesperson, noting that the circumstances of the accident had not yet been determined.
A security perimeter was established in front of the station, where several ambulances arrived, as reported by an AFP journalist.
A video taken by a witness and shared on social media shows a chaotic scene, with two heavily damaged trams in the tunnel near the station. One of the trams appears to have derailed due to the impact.
Since Strasbourg revamped its tram network in 1994, no major accidents had been reported until this incident.
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