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Germany must remove restrictions on people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 already this week, in an action that some critics say discriminates against younger people who are still months away from getting the puncture.
The bill was passed Monday by the German “crown cabinet,” which is chaired by Chancellor Angela Merkel. He says people who have been inoculated against Covid-19 or who have recovered from the disease will no longer be subject to curfews or restrictions on social gatherings.
The legislation was written by Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, who argued that since these people no longer posed any health risks to others, their fundamental rights must be curbed. Ministers expect it to be approved by the German parliament as early as this week.
The move comes amid growing frustration in Germany over tough coronavirus controls that are now entering their sixth month. Civil liberties advocates were especially alarmed for new law approved last month that gave the central government great powers to impose curfews and other restrictions in areas with a high incidence of coronavirus. Some defenders and activists have argued that it violates Germany’s constitution and challenges it in the country’s supreme court.
There is also anger against the slow rate of vaccinations, although it has accelerated in recent days. Nearly 23.5 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine in Germany, and of these, 6.66 million are fully inoculated. But this represents only 8% of the population, compared to 55.8% in Israel, 23% in the UK and 32% in the US.
The German bill echoes movements elsewhere in Europe. In Denmark, people who can prove to their “coronapas” that they have been inoculated or have had a negative PCR test in the last 72 hours or have had a previous infection, can visit restaurants, bars, cafes, museums , art galleries, libraries, zoos and theme parks.
French authorities are working to create the so-called “passe sanitaire”, which allows people to travel internationally as long as they have been vaccinated or can show a negative Covid-19 test. President Emmanuel Macron has said people should not show this pass to go to restaurants, bars or shops, but that it could be required this summer at large-scale events such as concerts, festivals or conferences.
Lambrecht’s bill says people who have been hit by Covid-19 or have recovered from the disease can enter shops or hairdressing salons and visit zoos or botanical gardens without having to show a negative result. They can also meet with other vaccinated people and family members.
In addition, people who have received a Covid-19 shot will no longer have to go into quarantine after traveling abroad, unless they return from countries where a virus mutation prevails.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said it was not a matter of granting privileges to those who had been shot, but of “giving them help and giving up. . . based on certain restrictions, as they correspond to them by virtue of their constitutional rights ”.
Given that only in Germany do those over 60 receive appointments for vaccination, it is worrying that only the older generation is in a position to benefit.
Tilman Kuban, head of the Christian Democrats’ Youth Union, said the bill should be expanded to cover all those who have had a negative result on the coronavirus.
“We should not send any signals that allow a certain part of society to travel again and live normally, while others have to leave it out for the next few months,” he told the newspaper Die Welt.
One of the Christian Democrats, Daniel Günther, echoed that sentiment. “Only 25% of the population has had the first punch, and even fewer have had both,” said Günther, who is governor of the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. In this situation, “restoring people’s rights only leads to new injustices.”
Additional reports by Leila Abboud
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