Germany argues over vaccine mandate for health workers

Germany’s health minister has decried calls from the main opposition party to suspend the implementation of a vaccination mandate for health workers, saying that they send a dangerous signal

BERLIN -- Germany's health minister on Tuesday decried calls from the main opposition party to suspend the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health workers, saying this would send a dangerous signal that authorities are caving to anti-vaccine protests.

Parliament in December approved the legislation that will require staff at hospitals and nursing homes to get immunized against the coronavirus, with the main center-right opposition Union bloc among those supporting it. Under the new law, those workers will need to show they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 by mid-March.

But in recent weeks, some local officials have complained that they lack the resources to implement it and the rules are unclear. On Monday, Bavaria's conservative governor said he plans not to implement the requirement at least for now, citing concerns about worker shortages.

The Union bloc's health policy spokesman, Tino Sorge, told Tuesday's edition of the daily Bild the federal government should accept the new rules are “barely practicable at the moment.” He argued that the mandate should be suspended nationwide “until central legal and practical questions are answered.”