It is a tense issue that returned to the National Assembly this Thursday, that of the reinstatement of caregivers not vaccinated against Covid-19. While La France insoumise proposed a law in this sense, the debates became verbal jousts in the chamber, the text having to be voted on before midnight on pain of not being examined.
Like several other opposition groups, La France insoumise accused the majority of obstructing this vote by intentionally “saving time”.
“I’m looking at you, dear colleagues. You have a smile on your face, you are satisfied and happy. You are happy that you were able to find a little obstructive pettiness to not let a niche go completely.” said the deputy Liberty, Independent, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) Olivier Serva, addressing the majority.
A speech finally interrupted when the deputy, exhausted, launched a “You’re going to shut up!” to one of the people present in the Assembly
The vaccination obligation will soon be lifted in Germany
If the National Assembly is used to these kinds of heated debates, France is not alone in experiencing strong tensions around the issue of unvaccinated caregivers.
The vaccination obligation has certainly not been introduced in all European countries: after discussions on the subject, the UK and Belgium finally decided not to take this position. Others, however, have chosen to pass this law.
In Germany, the idea is still under discussion since its promulgation, while the lack of nursing staff is felt. The law provided for a fine of up to 1,500 euros and a ban on practicing.
The German government, however, recently announced that it did not wish to extend this obligation in 2023. Because, in fact, of the 190,000 unvaccinated caregivers identified, only 70 of them were deprived of the practice. Therefore, the latter will be able to resume their activity in January.
According to the authorities, this reversal is justified by the lower effectiveness of the vaccines against the latest mutations of the virus. Health establishments, quite critical of this obligation, have welcomed the news.
Tensions in Greece
In Greece, several thousand caregivers have been furloughed after a law was passed to encourage them to get vaccinated. Some were reinstated after finally giving in, but many are still out of commission. The Greek government must decide before the end of the year based on the evolution of the epidemic.
Italy, which was among the first to adopt the vaccination obligation for its nursing staff, finally suspended it very recently.
In France, according to the Minister of Health, François Braun, this ban on finding work affects “very few doctors” and “1050 nurses” in total. Emmanuel Macron declared this Friday afternoon that he wanted a “scientific recommendation” to be issued first to lift these restrictions. Two opinions are eagerly awaited in this regard: that of the Haute Autorité de Santé and that of the National Ethics Advisory Committee.
Source: BFM TV
