In Germany, not only are people left behind when it comes to vaccination, the federal and state governments also take a lot of time to lift restrictions on the basic rights of people who have been vaccinated, even though they are protected from the virus and do not transmit it.
The Justice Ministry pressed on Thursday. If SPD has its way, fully vaccinated and formed patients should have more rights in the next week. Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) above all has requirements for private meetings and nighttime exit restrictions in sight. This emanates from the draft list.
The Ministry of Justice sent the proposal to other federal ministries on Thursday. The Bundestag and the Bundesrat have yet to agree.
But it is not just here to discuss the rights of vaccinated people: what they are allowed and what is not depends greatly on the rate of infection and the progress of vaccination, as a look at other countries shows.
Great Britain
In the United Kingdom, more than half of the population has been vaccinated at least once. Bars and restaurants are open to everyone again. The British government has withdrawn plans to present evidence of vaccination when visiting a bar in the future. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who put the idea into action, wants to shift the focus away from bars and restaurants to travel and major events, according to British media.
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Johnson said vaccination records will now be “only” for industries that “have been very difficult to open over the past year” – such as nightclubs and entertainment venues. Johnson may also have reacted to the restaurant owners’ frustration. They described the prime minister’s proposal as “stupid”, “stupid” and “impractical”. Conservative MPs also described the idea as an additional “burden”.
Johnson is said to have instructed his deputy, Michael Gove, to further examine the potential role of vaccination certificates. In the future, access to trade fairs, sports facilities and cultural institutions could be organized via a guide resembling the “green corridor”. Corresponding pilot projects are scheduled to be implemented within the next two months.
United States of America
In the United States, the requirement to wear a mask outdoors has been lifted for people who have been vaccinated. This means that many families can sit at the same table in the outdoor areas of restaurants and cafes at the same time if they are already immunized. Small groups can be repeated outdoors of both inoculated and unvaccinated people. Internal visits without a mask are permitted if everyone involved is fully vaccinated and no one is living with people from an at-risk group.
The quarantine obligation has also been relaxed: vaccinated people no longer have to go into quarantine after their initial contact with an infected person and no symptoms appearing. However, at concerts or sporting events, covering the mouth and nose is mandatory for everyone. Basically, it is hoped that dilution will keep the vaccination rate high.
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Austria
The controversy over the privileges of vaccination in Austria turned several times. In the beginning, there should be no benefits for those vaccinated, and in the meantime, Chancellor Sebastian Curtis announced that he wanted to present a vaccination permit along the lines of the Israeli model. As in Germany, there is also a debate in the neighboring country about whether we should talk about privileges or rather, a return to normal life.
In short, there is currently a lot of talk about the “green corridor”, which will accompany the opening steps in Austria from May 19. After that, all the sectors that were closed will be able to make a fresh start. “These opening steps are being implemented with strict security concepts,” said Curtis. The economy has pushed hard for the opening of restaurants and hotels.
The “green vaccination corridor” initially only symbolizes the principle that, in the future, hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions and sports facilities can be visited again with a test, vaccination, or after recovery. The opposition still has to agree to this in order to lift the Federal Council blockade.
A European copy of the vaccination card for tourism will follow in the summer. According to Curtis, this could be followed by a further simplification, for example for night gastronomy, wedding celebrations and club parties, starting on July 1st.
France
In France, outdoor dining opens again from mid-May. This also targets cultural institutions – with a limited number of spectators – and the retail trade. The gyms could reopen in June. However, the debate over possible rights for vaccinated people has so far been very cautious. The main focus of the discussion is whether those who are fully vaccinated should wear a mask.
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Santé Publique France is currently recommending to continue applying distance rules and mask requirements to everyone without restrictions. However, authorities exempt the mask requirement at indoor family gatherings when everyone is vaccinated. Currently, vaccinated people cannot hope for preferential treatment in cafes or on restaurant terraces. This was decided by the country’s highest administrative court at the beginning of April.
The court rejected the complaint of an 83-year-old retiree. The man wanted to lift the existing exit restrictions for people who had been vaccinated. The retiree had already received his second dose of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine and said people who had been vaccinated posed no risk of infection.
But the court came to the conclusion that the 83-year-old had to comply with exit restrictions “at the moment” in light of the high number of injuries despite the vaccination.
Italy
The return of all freedom for people who were vaccinated in Italy is further than it was in Germany. The website of the highest health authority, the ISS, with either one dose or both, says, “vaccinated person” “should continue to follow all precautions, distance, wearing a mask, disinfecting hands,” because it has not yet been identified. “Whether the vaccination, too.” It is effective in spreading the infection to others. “
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Vaccinated people in Italy also have a preference over unvaccinated people: for some time now, there have been strict restrictions on population: within the regions with the highest and second highest risk levels, red and orange. On the other hand, people who have been vaccinated are allowed to move freely – although it remains unclear who should issue the necessary certificates.
There are sporadic protests and no one has contacted the Constitutional Court. This may be due to the dilution that was in effect this week: outdoor food was opened again, by and large, with only as many as three others and as long as guests came home at 10pm. And only in the yellow areas.
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