At the coronavirus summit on November 18, the federal and state governments agreed that all employees in the German healthcare system should be subjected to a vaccine mandate. According to reports, the new law will apply from mid-March next year. 

Compulsory vaccinations for healthcare workers coming in March 2022

According to a draft document seen by RND, all staff working the German healthcare system will need to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus by March 15, 2022, or risk being deemed incapable of carrying out their jobs. 

The change will apply to employees who are currently working in hospitals, care facilities and outpatient care services, as well as new staff joining from January 1, 2022. All those who join the sector from March 16, 2022 will need to provide proof of vaccination before being allowed to start work.

There will be exemptions for employees who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Failure to comply will be treated as an administrative offence that could result in a fine or the employee losing their job. 

Protecting elderly and infirm from COVID

SPD general secretary Lars Klingbeil told ZDF that the transition period until mid-March “makes sense” because it gives nursing staff a reasonable amount of time to get themselves vaccinated, if they haven’t already done so. 

The draft law on the so-called “facility-related vaccination requirement” is expected to be passed by the Bundestag by mid-December at the latest. The idea is to protect elderly and vulnerable people from coronavirus infection. The country has already witnessed a number of deadly COVID outbreaks in nursing homes in Germany. Several residents recently died at a home in Brandenburg, where reportedly only half of the staff were vaccinated. 

The federal and state governments also recently decided that the Bundestag should “promptly” consider the idea of a general vaccination requirement. The ethics council is expected to prepare a recommendation for this by the end of the year.