With a few exceptions, vaccination against Corona has been mandatory for staff in the health and care sector since mid-March. The discussion about this legal regulation has flared up again. The NRW Minister of Health also thinks that it should be put to the test.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – North Rhine-Westphalia’s Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) is questioning the facility-related vaccination requirement in view of corona infections despite vaccination. “We know today that vaccination does not rule out infection. That’s why I’m of the opinion that the facility-related vaccination requirement is no longer the ultimate in the current situation,” said Laumann on Wednesday in Düsseldorf. The federal legislature should urgently put them to the test. “From today’s perspective, I don’t think an extension makes sense,” explained the state minister. According to the previous regulations, the obligation applies until the end of 2022. RTL also reported on the minister’s statements on Wednesday.
The German Hospital Society had previously spoken out in favor of the end of the corona vaccination requirement for nursing and health workers. “According to current knowledge, it is neither sensible nor communicable to continue it,” said Deputy CEO Henriette Neumeyer to the editorial network Germany (RND, Wednesday). In the delta wave, it was assumed that there would also be a high level of protection for the particularly vulnerable groups in the hospital, said Neumeyer. With the Omikron variant, that has become obsolete. Politicians from the CDU and left had started a debate about phasing out compulsory vaccination at the end of the year.
The Bundestag and Bundesrat had decided on facility-related vaccination requirements in December last year. Employees in facilities with vulnerable people such as nursing homes and clinics then had to prove by mid-March 2022 that they were vaccinated or recovered. So far, this regulation is only intended by law until the end of 2022 and would be dropped again if the Infection Protection Act were not changed again.
The President of the Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services (BPA), Bernd Meurer, said: “The protection of older and vulnerable people cannot be guaranteed with the facility-related vaccination requirement alone, as long as relatives and visitors are still allowed to come to the facilities unvaccinated and thus carry the virus into the facilities again and again.”
Vaccination has been compulsory for employees in numerous medical and nursing facilities since March 16. These include hospitals, medical practices and nursing homes. According to the NRW Ministry of Health in April, more than 20,000 employees nationwide had to be examined individually by the respective health department. They were reported by institutions or other employers because they failed to provide proof of full vaccination, recovery, or vaccination exemption.
The procedure stipulates that the respective health authority will contact the registered person and request proof. According to previous information, if no response is received, a fine of up to 2500 euros can be imposed. When making a decision on a ban on entry or activity, both personal aspects such as the type of activity and the specific situation in the facility or company should be taken into account.