Status: 07/27/2021 9:06 am
Politicians reject them, patient advocates call them “extremely dangerous”: compulsory vaccination is controversial in Germany. For restaurateurs and event organizers, on the other hand, it could be the important step back to normal.
Patient advocates have sharply criticized the debate about compulsory corona vaccination in Germany. The chairman of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, called it “extremely dangerous” to think publicly about compulsory vaccination. “Nobody in this country can have an interest in enforcing a mandatory vaccination with the police,” he told the “Rheinische Post”.
Vaccine skeptics had to be convinced “with arguments”, demanded Brysch. “The core of such a debate must be self-protection against Corona.” Brysch accused the federal government of avoiding this debate. “In doing so, she leaves the field to the opponents of vaccination and conspiracy theorists,” he criticized.
Federal government rejects compulsory vaccination
However, the federal government has already given a clear rejection of compulsory vaccination. Such a duty should not exist through the “back door”, said Deputy Government Spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer. The debate was triggered by statements by Chancellery Minister Helge Braun (CDU), who had proposed restrictions for non-vaccinated people in the “Bild am Sonntag”. In some countries around the world, vaccination requirements are already in place. Most recently, the French parliament passed a law that includes mandatory vaccination for health care workers and fire fighters.
The North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann rejects compulsory vaccination, but appeals to the sense of responsibility of certain professional groups. “But I would like to make it clear that for me vaccination is part of the ethics of certain professions, such as caring or teaching,” said the CDU politician. It should go without saying that someone who cares for other people, for example, does everything possible to protect their patients from infection with Covid.
Lambrecht: Restaurateurs are free to decide
Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, on the other hand, refers to the possibility of restaurateurs to only be able to open their restaurants and bars to vaccinated people. “The freedom of contract allows private providers such as restaurateurs a largely free design of their offers,” said the SPD politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Anyone who wants to offer their guests special protection can therefore also make offers that are only aimed at those who have been vaccinated. Lambrecht also excludes compulsory vaccination. However, the general public should “no longer have to pay for test costs in the long term if people do not take advantage of their vaccination offers”.
Organizers see an opportunity in compulsory vaccination
The event industry sees compulsory vaccination for major events as the only way to get back to normal economic life. “In the area of major events and concerts, there is only this route from the end of September, when everyone has received a vaccination offer,” says Jens Michow, executive president of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV).
The staff and the artists would of course have to be vaccinated for such events. The alternative – events still only with distance requirements, mask requirements and a limited number of visitors – is not economically feasible, according to Michow.