Germany’s vaccination campaign is faltering, with around 76.6% of the German population receiving at least one dose – less than more than 80% in other Western European countries, such as France, Italy and Spain. A cross-party proposal called for a bill requiring citizens aged 60 and over to be vaccinated against COVID-19 from October 15, in a bid to stem another wave of the virus in the autumn. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Daily infections are high in Germany, but have dropped over the past week or so, with 201,729 new cases reported on Thursday. Of the 683 lawmakers who voted, 378 voted against the bill and 296 in favor, prompting applause from far-right AfD lawmakers. It was a free vote, meaning lawmakers were not told to follow party lines. “I find the Bundestag decision very clear,” Scholz said, adding that the government would look for other ways to increase the country’s vaccination rate instead of pushing for mandatory vaccinations a second time. “We will do everything we can to persuade more people in this country to get vaccinated,” Soltz said late Thursday. The defeat was a setback for Soltz, who had even called on his foreign minister, Annalena Bayerbock, to leave the NATO summit in Brussels to return to the polls. Scholz was forced last week to abandon compulsory vaccination plans for anyone over the age of 18, as he was unable to secure a parliamentary majority. Dirk Wiese, a lawmaker who co-sponsored the bill, blamed opposition conservatives, saying they blocked the bill to harm the government. “The CDU / CSU (conservatives) have unknowingly answered a question of conscience,” Wiese said in a statement. The bill’s reflection reflects the provocative policy-making dynamics of the ruling coalition, which includes Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberal Liberal Democrats, who disagree on many issues. Three additional proposals that either only advised people to get vaccinated or completely rejected the mandate were also voted down after a lively four-hour debate. The imposition of vaccinations on citizens violates the second article of the constitution, which guarantees the control of citizens over their bodies, the AfD resolution supported. Austria last month suspended its vaccination order, six days before the start of fines for breaches, due to concerns about rights violations. read more The German Federation of Hospitals (DKG) said the failure of the bill was the responsibility of all parties. “In the end, we are now facing a mess for which all parties are responsible,” DKG president Gerald Gass told the Rheinische Post. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by Andreas Rinke and Holger Hansen. Editors: Raissa Kasolowsky, Nick Macfie and Bernard Orr Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
