There has been a long-standing argument about compulsory corona vaccination, now Parliament should deal with it again very intensively: What is the mood? There are also pitfalls in many details.
Berlin – It is about an ethically difficult clarification and a sharp U-turn in German corona policy: This Wednesday, the Bundestag will be discussing a long-excluded general obligation to vaccinate in an open orientation debate.
It could be a kind of last resort to find the way out of the pandemic. It’s not just a matter of yes or no, but also of possible interim solutions and various practical aspects. And the important question of whether a solution can resolve tensions or exacerbate them.
Why is vaccination mandatory at all?
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had already made it clear when he took office that he now advocates compulsory vaccination. The Prime Ministers have also positioned themselves in this way. Because the broadly based calculations in terms of vaccination simply did not work out: compulsory vaccination was ruled out precisely in order to take the wind out of the sails of opponents of vaccination. But the whole country has learned that “something that we relied so much on didn’t work out,” explained Scholz: “That we can achieve a sufficiently high vaccination rate through conviction alone.”
What is special about the debate?
As clearly as Scholz promotes compulsory vaccination, it is also clear that as head of government he does not want to design and implement it himself. The SPD, the Greens and the FDP have agreed that the deputies should consult and decide freely without the usual group guidelines. “Compulsory vaccination is not a coalition plan,” said FDP leader Christian Lindner. He and Scholz justify the open debate with the fact that this should enable a pacifying consensus. Obviously, the coalition does not have a common line on this either. The opposition Union skewers this as a lack of leadership and undauntedly demands a government bill.
What exactly does mandatory vaccination mean?
Strictly speaking, it is about a vaccination certificate obligation. Because it is clear that nobody can be forced to have vaccinations against their will and possibly with physical force. The model could be the first limited obligation that has already been sealed: Employees in facilities with vulnerable people such as nursing homes and clinics must submit proof of vaccination protection or recovery by March 15th – or a doctor’s certificate that they cannot be vaccinated. And several months’ notice was given to get vaccinated. That should also be the case with general duty.
Who does compulsory vaccination affect?
A good half of Germans would probably not be affected themselves: at least 42.2 million people or 50.8 percent of all residents are already “boosted”. So they usually got three injections and thus all the recommended vaccinations. Many people who have been vaccinated twice are likely to follow soon. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 15 percent of the 69.4 million adults are not yet vaccinated – for people over 60 with a greater corona risk it is 11.5 percent. There will never be a quota of 100 percent anyway. Some cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, and there is no approved vaccine for children under the age of five.
What suggestions are there already?
So far there have essentially been three approaches: A draft for an obligation from the age of 18, which Scholz also envisages, is currently being prepared by parliamentarians from all three traffic light groups. A group led by the FDP MP Andrew Ullmann concreted a push for a “middle way”: With a mandatory, professional and personal consultation for all adult unvaccinated. And if after a certain time the necessary vaccination rate is not achieved, proof of vaccination from the age of 50 is mandatory. A group led by FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki wants to prevent compulsory vaccination in general.
What could compulsory vaccination look like in concrete terms?
According to the group of deputies around SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese, the obligation from the age of 18 should be limited to one to two years and apply to no more than three vaccinations. If a fourth booster vaccination makes sense, for example for the elderly or people with previous illnesses, it would be voluntary.
How is this to be enforced?
The group of deputies around Wiese wants to forego measures such as compulsory detention. Instead, those who refuse to vaccinate should pay a fine. According to the law on administrative offenses, fines range from 5 to 1000 euros “unless the law provides otherwise”. They could also be set higher for compulsory vaccination. Janosch Dahmen from the Greens, who is a co-initiator of the group application, advocates an amount in the “mid three-digit range”. If you don’t pay then, according to Wiese, an individual fine could be considered, for which an upper limit of 25,000 euros applies.
Who controls this?
Implementation could take place via a register that records vaccinations for all citizens. Only: there is no such thing yet. The structure would take time, and data protection would also have to be regulated. Alternatively, citizens could be asked to provide proof of their vaccination via health insurance companies or municipalities that have the registration data. If health reasons speak against vaccination, one should be exempted from the obligation. According to Wiese, the certificates should not be issued by the family doctor, but by the medical officer.
What’s next?
There are still no draft laws for the orientation debate, which is not unusual either. As recently with ethical issues such as organ donation, several dozen MPs can each speak briefly. Around three hours until the early evening are planned for this. Sometimes such debates also contain touching descriptions of personal life. The concrete formulation of the applications should then follow, also with the help of the ministries. An expert hearing could be organised. According to the SPD, the procedure should be completed in March. The obligation to provide evidence could then take effect in the summer. dpa
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