The employee of a vaccination center holds a syringe with a vaccine against Covid-19.
© dpa
Berlin's Senator for Health Ulrike Gote (Green Party) does not expect the mandatory vaccination in the health and care sector to lead to staff shortages.
"In Berlin, a large number of people working in the health sector are already vaccinated - more than the citywide average," Gote told RBB Inforadio on Tuesday (March 15, 2022). Nevertheless, if staff shortages are looming in a facility, there will be a transition period. Together with the facilities and the affected employees, the health authorities would look for ways to maintain operations. Gote was convinced that this could be done "with a sense of proportion", stating: "There's really no need for any Berliners to worry about any system failures."
According to Senator Gote, in case of a violation consequences such as fines or work bans can only be expected after a few weeks. She spoke of three weeks to a maximum of three months. If someone working in the healthcare sector does not want to be vaccinated, this has consequences. "These consequences could initially come in the form of a ban on entering the premises up to the employee being banned from working altogether," Gote explained.
In the future, employees in the healthcare and nursing sector will be subject to a nationawide so-called facility-based Coronavirus vaccination mandate. Those affected must prove to their employer by Tuesday (March 15, 2022) that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, have recovered or cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.