Status: December 20, 2021 11:19 a.m.
The debate about compulsory vaccination is gaining momentum because of the Omikron variant. Employer President Rainer Dulger has now spoken out in favor of this step as “the only viable path”.
Employer President Rainer Dulger has changed his initially hesitant attitude towards a general vaccination requirement. “I have long relied on common sense, but now I am very much in favor of a general vaccination requirement,” said the chairman of the Federation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), the “Handelsblatt”. “I think it is the only viable way to get the pandemic under control.”
Dulger had been even more hesitant about a month ago. “We rely on dialogue and conviction. Therefore, a statutory vaccination requirement is always only the second-best solution. However, it must not be ruled out from the outset,” the functionary told the daily newspaper “Rheinische Post” at the end of November.
The Bundestag is expected to decide in the coming year on a general vaccination against corona in a free vote without parliamentary group discipline. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, among others, had spoken out in favor of a general vaccination requirement, but FDP party leader Christian Lindner said he was also going in this direction.
Medium-sized companies demand vaccine registers
Meanwhile, the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises spoke out in favor of a national vaccine register. The managing director of the association, Markus Jerger, told the dpa news agency that Corona is unfortunately spreading rapidly in Germany. It is regrettable that the inventory by Federal Health Minister Lauterbach leaves it unclear how many vaccine doses are currently available. “It is the job of the federal government to ensure a safe supply of vaccines. This requires the establishment of a national vaccine register,” said Jerger.
The highest priority should be increasing the vaccination rate and an offensive booster strategy. Advised by its health advisory board, the association is calling on the federal government to purchase more vaccine than the planned amount in order not to slow down the vaccination rate any further. “In view of the mandatory vaccination requirements for staff in nursing homes and health facilities, an adequate supply of vaccines is essential,” said Jerger.