When vaccinations become compulsory for employees in health and care facilities on March 15, it will take at least two more weeks for the Munich Health Department (GSR) to identify those unwilling to be vaccinated and issue any entry bans. That’s what health officer Beatrix Zurek said during a briefing by the city council on the current corona situation in the city.
The GSR is currently preparing to advise those affected and answer questions. From March 15, employers in this area must report unvaccinated employees to the GSR, which in the worst case can then prohibit the employee from entering his workplace. Zurek said that the necessary administrative procedure – hearing the person concerned, issuing a decision, waiting for deadlines – will take at least two weeks, so that the first decisions cannot be expected before the beginning of April.
Chief fire director Wolfgang Schäuble reported that there were isolated medical practices that had closed due to a corona-related shortage of staff, and that some clinics had closed wards for the same reason. Zurek emphasized that these were decisions by the resident doctor or the clinic – the GSR did not close any medical facilities.
There were problems again with the transmission of the corona numbers
City Councilor Hans Theiss (CSU) asked about the reduced incidence in the city in the past few days – in all districts around Munich the value had increased despite the weekend. Zurek explained the decline with reporting delays: There had been a change in personnel in the GSR, and technical problems had also occurred with the transmission to the State Office for Health. “Unfortunately, the incidence is increasing again,” says Zurek.
City Councilor Theiss asked again about compulsory vaccination for everyone: He said that the City Council and the Mayor should position themselves more clearly here. “It would send a strong signal nationwide if the mayor of the largest municipality spoke out in favor of compulsory vaccination for everyone.”
In the vaccination centers you can now be immunized without an appointment
Since Monday it has been possible again to receive a vaccination without an appointment in the three Munich vaccination centers Pasing, Theresienwiese and Marienplatz. This has been the case at the Riem vaccination center for a long time. The health department wants to create more flexibility for citizens. It is said that this change has already made itself felt on the Theresienwiese and Marienplatz. Employees report that a few people have already come by without an appointment.
In Pasing, the rush is quite different. One day you have 200 people willing to be vaccinated, the next only 30. You have not noticed anything about the release of the appointment. At all three stations, however, the emptiness dominates what is happening. At first glance, the vaccination center on the Theresienwiese appears deserted. In the adjoining test center there is a lot of activity, but only a few people come for the vaccination, sometimes with, sometimes without an appointment. There are no queues, and there are virtually no waiting times. The demand for vaccinations has fallen noticeably. The employees also confirm the trend. That’s why no one was sent away last week who wanted to be vaccinated without an appointment. Official registration is no longer necessary.
In the past week, a total of 13,584 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 in the Munich vaccination centers and in special vaccination campaigns. After the release of the date this week, there was initially no increase, according to the health department.