Germany’s lockdown-loving health minister still wants compulsory vaccination to be implemented despite parliament not supporting the measure.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is reportedly still hoping to legally force everyone over the age of 18 in the European Union member-state to get vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus.
This is despite the fact that there is now a significant lack of support for such forced vax measures in the country, with politicians in the thought-policing nation now looking at implementing different methods to tackle the disease.
In an interview posted by public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, Lauterbach made clear that his dream scenario of all over-18s being forced to get jabbed against COVID-19 is still something he is committed to, despite a reported lack of support from elected officials.
“I still hope that this will work,” the German health minister said regarding his forced vaccination plans, noting that he was not going to stop pushing the legislation in parliament.
“I think we’re going to push through a motion for mandatory vaccination on Thursday,” he said.
Lauterbach was then asked whether he was preparing for alternatives should the proposal fail to be passed.
This was answered firmly in the negative:
“Not at all,” he replied. “So if it is, then so be it. Then we have to deal with it honestly.”
“But I don’t think so. It will be fought over until the last hour,” he also said.
While Lauterbach is seemingly maintaining hope that forced vaccination for all over-18s will come into effect in Germany, such a measure now appears less likely to come to pass, with Der Spiegel reporting that the support for such a move now simply does not exist in Germany’s parliament.
However, this does not mean that the country’s unjabbed are out of the woods just yet, with another forced vax measure being considered by many in parliament which would compel all those aged 50 and over to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, as in Italy.
Forced masking is another lockdown rule that remains prominent in Germany, and while the requirements to wear such face coverings are being dropped at a national level from Sunday, many parts of the country will still require their use.
Support for forced mask-wearing also remains popular among the general German population. This is despite the fact that many other European countries have long since abandoned the measure, with 69 per cent of Germans still supporting the mandate according to a report by Bild.
Other sections of German society have also been vocal in their support of forced masking, with high-specification FFP2 masks remaining a requirement in the country’s parliament, as well as in parts of the judicial system.
Teachers’ associations in the country have also pleaded for forced mask-wearing to remain in place for children in schools, arguing that dropping the measure could lead to division within the classroom.
“[T]here is now a risk that, on the one hand, children who wear masks will be teased by classmates as wimps and overly anxious, or, conversely, that pressure will be exerted on non-mask wearers,” argued Heinz-Peter Meidinger, the President of the German Teachers’ Association, according to Der Spiegel.
As a result, Meidinger argued that forced masking should remain in place until at least the Easter Break.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.