Unvaccinated and in quarantine
These regulations could soon apply
A man looks out the window during his quarantine.
© Anna Lurye / Shutterstock
Not vaccinated and have the official quarantine order in hand? That could be expensive now. The first federal states assume that by now everyone would have received a vaccination offer – therefore the compensation payments are now being discussed again.
It’s getting tighter for people who aren’t currently vaccinated. In the meantime, some federal states are checking whether the right to compensation payments in the quarantine case still applies. Brigitte.de answers some urgent questions about the current status.
The most important questions about the current status of the continued payment of wages of unvaccinated people in quarantine
What does the current regulation look like?
Basically: Anyone who receives an official order for a quarantine is entitled to compensation under the Infection Protection Act – for example in the case of a wage adjustment. The employer (s): he continues to pay the salary and can get the money back from the state.
This does not apply, however, if the quarantine could have been avoided by an available vaccination. This restriction of entitlement did not only arise during the corona pandemic, but rather when the measles obligation was introduced.
Why is something changing now?
A few months ago, the Covid-19 vaccine was very rare – not everyone got a vaccination offer right away. During this time, the rule was: If no vaccination offer could be made to you, you were entitled to compensation even during a quarantine.
But that has now changed. The offer is there, but fewer and fewer people can be vaccinated. The federal states have therefore fulfilled their obligation to provide the vaccine and therefore no longer see any need to pay compensation in it if quarantine can be avoided.
Have the federal states already implemented this regulation?
Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate made the start. Since September 15, 2021, citizens of Baden Württemberg who have not taken the opportunity to be vaccinated will not receive any compensation for loss of earnings due to quarantine. In Rhineland-Palatinate, this regulation will apply from October 1, 2021.
What about entry from a virus variant or high risk area?
For employees who have been on vacation in a high-risk or variant area, the new coronavirus entry regulation has been in effect since August 1, 2021. If workers travel knowingly to a country that has resulted in quarantine, they are practically guilty of themselves. Continued payment of wages can be refused.
When should the new regulation come into force?
Nothing has been decided yet. The “Handelsblatt” now reports that from October 11, 2021, there will be no more quarantine compensation for unvaccinated employees nationwide. This emerges from a draft resolution for the meeting of health ministers on Wednesday.
Are there any exceptions to the rule?
According to the draft, exceptions apply to people for whom there was no vaccination recommendation up to eight weeks before the quarantine order. This also applies if a “medical contraindication with regard to the Covid-19 vaccination is confirmed by a medical certificate,” the “Handelsblatt” quotes from the paper.
Exactly which groups fall under this exception is also still being discussed. Berlin’s Finance Senator Matthias Kollatz sees the exceptions as absolutely necessary. They could be supplemented in the Infection Protection Act.
What happens in the event of illness?
In principle, employees are protected by Section 3 of the Continued Remuneration Act and continue to receive their wages even in the event of illness. However, it is quite conceivable that demands will be made to discontinue these continued wages if the employee is at fault.
However, this is much more difficult to implement, since employees who mountaineering in their free time continue to receive their wages if they break something – which in principle is also their own fault.
Sources used: haufe.de, zeit.de, handelsblatt.de