A sort ofSa Fourth wave The Covid-19 infection threatens the intensive care units of hospitals from Brussels to Berlin, and European governments have begun to speak out provoked And anxiety. On Monday, German Health Minister Jens Spahn bluntly stated the stakes for the coming winter, aiming to sound the alarm. Mr. Span warned that by the spring, the vast majority of Germans will be “vaccinated, cured or dead.” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte dismissed violent protesters who opposed the restriction of non-stab wounds as “idiots”, while his Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Kro said that similar scenes in Brussels were “absolutely unacceptable.”
The comments of Mr. Rutte and Mr. De Croo clearly address the hijacking Demonstration In the capital of Belgium and Rotterdam. But political leaders in Western Europe have a more general sense of frustration: With the expected autumn peak, a considerable number of citizens refuse to be vaccinated, thus deepening the crisis. Dealing with this part of the population who is more likely to require hospitalization after infection has become a major policy dilemma for the government to seek a balance between civil liberties and the need to protect the interests of the entire society.
For any liberal democracy, this is a dangerous area. The policy response under development is to gradually restrict the activities of unvaccinated people in the form of Covid passes and restrictions. These are now being strengthened. In Belgium, vaccination certificates or negative tests are required to enter cafes, restaurants and nightclubs, and caregivers must be vaccinated.In Germany, something like limit It is being introduced in states with high Covid-related hospitalization rates.Head of the Robert Koch Institute (the country’s disease control agency) Said If a full-blown crisis is to be avoided, the vaccination rate urgently needs to be increased from 68% to much higher than 75%.
Given the exponential increase in infection rates and mortality, these are all understandable and reasonable measures. However, the government needs to be extra careful when imposing them on them.They should avoid following the example of Austria, which announced last week that it will be vaccinated Mandatory From February. As the World Health Organization emphasized on Tuesday, the “vaccine plus” approach is necessary, emphasizing the importance of social distancing and wearing masks to all citizens. Although liberal arguments cannot be allowed to outweigh the need for social solidarity in the context of a pandemic, more positive motivation is needed to supplement the formal discrimination against those who have not yet been vaccinated to inform, persuade and listen to reluctant and A skeptical person.
This is especially true among some people whose trust in the government is historically low and the feeling that citizens have been deprived of their rights has prevailed. A two-tier Covid society, if allowed to last for any meaningful period, will be a gift from far-right parties seeking fertile ground.Austria’s Liberal Party, recently undermined Corruption scandal Seeing its popularity plummet, anti-vaccine protests are being used as a means of recovery.In Germany, a fierce debate is currently taking place on whether compulsory vaccination will violate constitution The right to “physical integrity”. In Berlin and elsewhere, finding a more consistent route is crucial.
