In Germany, Health Minister Jens Spahn and his colleagues from the country’s federal states decided to put in place new sick pay rules. In some cases, employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be paid while they are in quarantine.
Sofia/Bulgaria, September 23rd, 2021 (The Berlin Spectator) — A new sick pay regulation Germany’s Health Ministers decided to implement puts unvaccinated individuals under more pressure. In some cases, they will not receive sick pay anymore while they are in Corona quarantine. The unvaccinated already are excluded from parts of public life in several of Germany’s sixteen states. For instance, they cannot enter dance clubs and similar venues. Now, they will have more disadvantages.
Very Different
The new sick pay rules are supposed to be valid beginning in November, when the federal government and two state governments might already have been replaced. September 26th is Super Sunday. Apart from elections for the Berlin Bundestag, there will be state elections in the city state of Berlin and in Mecklenburg Hither-Pomerania.
According to the new regulation, vaccinated individuals will continue to receive 100 percent of their salary when they have to go into quarantine after getting infected with the Coronavirus. They do not have to go into quarantine anymore when they were in contact with an infected person. For the unvaccinated, things will be very different soon. They will receive sick pay when they get infected with Corona and are sent into quarantine for that reason. But they will not be paid when they are sent into quarantine because they were in contact with an infected person, and if they cannot work from home for any reason.
Exceptions Apply
In cases in which unvaccinated persons are sent into quarantine because they just returned from what the Germans call a “High Risk Region” or a “Virus Variant Region”, they will not receive sick pay either, unless they can work from home. The new regulation applies when a Corona vaccination was recommended and offered to the employee, but he or she did not accept the offer. By now, vaccinations have been recommended and offers to almost everyone above 12 years of age. But there are exceptions. Those include persons who are allergic to any of the substances included in anti-Corona vaccine.
Germany’s Corona vaccination rate is increasing slowly. On Thursday morning, it stood at 63.4 percent. In order to achieve herd immunity, 85 percent are needed, according to scientists. But the vaccinated in Germany already seem to be slowing down the fourth Corona wave. In spite of cooler temperatures that make people meet indoors, the number of new Corona infections is slowly decreasing at this stage.
Incidence Drops
The federal state of Bremen is Germany’s Corona hotspot right now, with a Seven Day Incidence of 106.7. One of Germany’s 412 counties, Bremerhaven, which is part of the same state, stands at 221.0. But things look a lot better in the rest of Germany. Its national incidence dropped to 63.1.
All relevant Corona numbers for Germany, and daily Corona updates, can be found in our Corona chronology.
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