Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
The German government is reportedly considering scrapping quarantine pay for people who haven’t received a booster shot.
According to a draft document put together by parliamentary lawyers, first reported on by Bild, the German government is seeking to exclude certain groups of vaccinated people from the right to claim replacement wages if they are required to quarantine.
Currently, Germany’s Infection Protection Act grants compensatory pay for people who are infected with COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has, and are therefore unable to work.
But, according to the document, the rules need updating to reflect Germany’s new quarantine rules, which make exceptions for close contact persons who have received a booster shot or recently completed their primary vaccination course.
The report argues that, according to the law, a person’s entitlement to compensation ends if they could have avoided the need to quarantine by taking advantage of a vaccination offer - and since booster shots are now generally available, and recommended, the government cannot continue to cover lost earnings for people who fail to get one.
Up until now, the government has only withheld quarantine pay from unvaccinated people. While not yet confirmed, the new rules would primarily affect vaccinated people who have not yet received a booster shot, and people who are not yet fully-vaccinated (for instance, if they’ve only so far received one shot).
Opposition politicians in Germany said the government could only justify the rule change if booster shots were readily available to everyone who wants them. Dennis Radtke, a CDU MEP, told Bild: “If you want to do something like this, you have to make sure that everyone can get a booster shot quickly. It can’t be the case that workers end up paying for the bad COVID management of the federal government.”
CDU / CSU parliamentary secretary Thorsten Frei, on the other hand, appealed to everyone to take advantage of the offers available to them. “In order not to place unnecessary burdens on society, employees should strive for the highest possible level of his or her own protection. Those who expressly forego this protection should also be prepared to bear the consequences.”