Should coronavirus restrictions be eased for vaccinated people?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• An authority from the German government proposes that COVID-19 measures be lifted for people who had vaccines.
• Other government officials, however, oppose the idea as it might lead to discrimination, adding that it was not yet proven if vaccines can prevent the infection from spreading.
• Currently, around 1 million Germans had been vaccinated out of its 83.2 million population.

A German minister believed that Individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine should be permitted to visit establishments such as diners and movie theaters earlier than those who haven’t had their doses yet.  The statement was against the recommendation of other cabinet members who said restrictions should never be eased for those injected.

Heiko Maas, Foreign Minister, said the nation had widely limited people’s movement to curb the spread of COVID-19  rights and prevent the hospitals from overcapacity. 

The Minister told news outlet Bild am Sonntag that “it has not yet been conclusively clarified to what extent vaccinated people can infect others, ” adding that it was certain that an inoculated person is at least one less ventilator.

He also noted that this was a key reason less in lifting fundamental rights restricting.

On Friday, at least a million individuals in Germany had been vaccinated, as reported by the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases. According to the country’s official statistics, around 83.2 million people are currently residing in Germany.

Other German ministers, however, opposed such an exception, worrying it could lead to discrimination particularly at a period when the chance to be vaccinated is not for everyone.

A justice ministry representative told Reuters that it was unacceptable to treat inoculated people differently from others because it has yet to be proven that vaccination would also prevent the virus from spreading.

A spokesperson for the health ministry spokesman also declined the proposal, while Andrew Ullmann, health authority for German parliament’s Free Democrats thinks that a debate over privileges could only happen once the vaccine becomes accessible for the majority.

Maas said Germany was also curbing the privileges of people who operate cinemas, museums, and restaurants, adding that they can “reopen their businesses at some point if there is a possibility to do so.”

Maas also recognized the move might lead to disparities during a “transitional period”, but explained that such action is justifiable under the constitution, given that there was a neutral reason and it didn’t have an impact on the basic services to the public.

Germany has prolonged lockdown restrictions until the end of the month, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has called upon regional leaders for a conference on Tuesday to deliberate stricter measures.

Source: Reuters