But no decision made
Health ministers agree on mandatory care vaccinations
2/14/2022 9:54 p.m
From March 15th, vaccinations will be compulsory for employees in clinics and nursing homes. Implementation has been hotly debated. Two days before the next round of federal and state governments on the corona situation, the state health ministers are in favor of a staged procedure.
According to their chairpersons, the health ministers of the federal states largely agree that the corona vaccination obligation for nursing and health staff should be implemented in a balanced manner and in a phased process. Even if many questions are still unanswered, the law should be implemented and implemented, said Petra Grimm-Benne in Magdeburg. There is a great deal of agreement in the countries about a phased process from mid-March. However, no decision was made on the matter.
The affected employees should show proof of vaccination within 14 days, said Grimm-Benne. All those who still want to be vaccinated or who have just had a vaccination, for example, should be allowed to continue working. A distinction should also be made between workers who work directly on patients and those who do other jobs.
If employers or health authorities assume that the supply is at risk, it should be possible for an unvaccinated employee to be allowed to continue working for a transitional period, explained Grimm-Benne, who is Health Minister in Saxony-Anhalt. Then conditions such as daily testing or working in full protection should apply, and it is also possible to switch to another job.
“But these are all individual decisions. We believe that an orderly hearing procedure is part of it,” said Grimm-Benne. That takes time. The principle of proportionality applies. “But: We say that when all points have been clarified, then at some point you have to talk about a ban on entry if there are no other reasons.”
The vaccination obligation applies from March 15th for employees in nursing homes and clinics, but also, for example, in medical practices and in outpatient services, for midwives, physiotherapists and masseurs. The health authorities should ultimately decide on any entry bans. There had recently been heated discussions about the implementation.