Watchword soon "Only for the vaccinated"?
In the discussion about the right vaccination strategy, the view is gaining traction that those who have been vaccinated should enjoy certain advantages - for example in terms of travel, access to certain facilities or at the workplace. Certain politicians hope that with this strategy they will be able to persuade people in the many countries where the willingness to be vaccinated is currently too low to achieve the target of herd immunity.
Don't let society be divided like this!
Handelsblatt thinks nothing of such ideas:
“Everything that aims in this direction is like compulsory vaccination through the back door. However, it would be linked to a growing number of arbitrary decisions taken by people without the authority to do so. Every transport company could refuse to transport whomever they don't want to. Every office, cinema or sports facility could deny access to whomever they please. The job market would be divided into those who have been vaccinated and those who haven't. Of course, the excluded would sue. Presumably they would win in many cases. ... And it's a good thing, too. A democracy cannot allow individuals or institutions to decide who is safe and who is not.”
We'll soon come around if it means we can travel
Properly informing the public is the key to success, the Tages-Anzeiger puts in - and believes it knows at what point the scepticism of many people will give way:
“The independent experts in the regulatory authorities must take the time to carefully test the vaccines. And our health experts must use this time to convince the population of the benefits of vaccination. ... By the way, volunteers mainly in the US, Brazil and Argentina held out their arms for this. ... They calculated that the advantages of being protected by the vaccine were greater than the risk of side effects. And what about us? At the latest when popular travel destinations start requesting proof of coronavirus vaccination rather than a negative test, the level of acceptance is likely to change quickly.”
Risk minimisation, not discrimination
The Times, on the other hand, thinks it's good that the British government wants to support companies that require customers to provide proof of vaccination:
“To regard such rules as discrimination, as some campaigners pre-emptively do, is childish. If a vaccine does indeed hinder transmission, it would be far more illiberal to compel business owners to put themselves, their staff and their other customers at risk. ... Many African nations demand yellow fever vaccination certificates as a condition of entry. It is likely that many countries, including this one, will do similar with Covid-19. Airlines may be some of the first businesses to demand proof of inoculation. ”