Germany’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that a mandate requiring health care workers to present proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or recovery from the disease should go into force as planned. Opponents of the mandate had petitioned the court to postpone its application. The mandate is due to begin on March 15. Friday’s ruling was centered on whether the mandate could be enforced ahead of a final decision on whether the move is constitutional under German law. That decision will be ruled on by the court at a later date.
What is the vaccine mandate under consideration?
The mandate would require all employees in care homes, hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and outpatient clinics, as well as midwives, physiotherapists and massage therapists, to prove they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recently recovered from the illness. It aims to protect those people who have a particularly high risk of severe illness or death from the disease. Exceptions would be made for those who cannot be vaccinated on medical grounds. If no proof is forthcoming, health authorities will be informed. They can decide to ban the person in question from entering the facility where they are working or from continuing to exercise their profession.
Why are there objections?
Some health care authorities has said that investigating individual cases where no proof has been furnished will be too difficult and time-consuming. They also say that the mandate could lead to many people leaving the profession rather than comply with the mandate, leading to a shortage of personnel in a sector already under considerable strain. The southern state of Bavaria on Monday went its own way, with Premier Markus Söder postponing the mandate indefinitely beyond March 15, the date set by the federal government for it to go into force. Söder justified his decision by saying that there were too many undecided questions surrounding the mandate. tj/wmr (dpa, Reuters)